


I'm Strong on the Surface, Not All the Way Through

by LuckyLadybug



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Betrayal, Corruption, During Canon, Friendship, Gen, Male Friendship, Seal of Orichalcos, Self-Hatred, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-29
Updated: 2020-11-09
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:13:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 21,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27256249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuckyLadybug/pseuds/LuckyLadybug
Summary: Set in season 4, not my usual verse. While Yugi-tachi are in California, more problems are happening back home. The Big Five make friends with Solomon Muto while trying to turn their lives around, but Nesbitt is being consumed by a devastating self-hatred, making him easy prey for Dartz's cruel manipulations. Yami Bakura, meanwhile, is irritated by the new roadblock to his plans.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The characters are not mine and the story is! The title is from Linkin Park's Leave Out All the Rest, which is one of my personal image songs for Nesbitt. This doesn't take place in my usual Pendulum Swings verse, but in another verse. It explores what might have been going on in Domino City during season 4 while Yugi-tachi went to California. The last scene of the first chapter was lifted mostly word for word from one of my short pieces written for Whumptober 2020 on Tumblr, Disorientation. The story will largely focus on the Big Five, but also feature Solomon and Bakura. Bakura being short-changed in season 4 has always been a sore point among fans!

The rain was pounding down in Domino City that afternoon, hitting the spacious picture windows of KaibaCorp in sheets.

The five men were sitting around a long table, staring out at the rain as they became lost in their memories. They had spent so many hours here, in this room, before they had ended up in cyberspace. Then they had sunk into despair and desperation and lost almost all sense of self, afraid they would never get back out. But ironically, Noa deleting them from his world had resulted in them waking up in their bodies, which had been preserved in the KaibaCorp medical wing. It had left them all stunned beyond belief that Seto Kaiba had actually let them live. They had believed he had left them to die. Seto certainly hadn't said otherwise.

It had taken them a bit of time to physically recover after the weeks spent in cyberspace, although not as much time as the doctors had thought. They had all rallied very quickly, even the oldest. They were all free to go now, and although they knew they no longer had their jobs at KaibaCorp, they were sitting in the conference room anyway, just for a few moments.

It had been raining that last fateful day too—the day when they had all become trapped in cyberspace. Perhaps rain would always remind them of that now.

"So . . . what're we gonna do when we walk out of here?" one of the oldest men wondered. He spoke in a gruff, gravelly voice as he looked to each of his business partners. "Are we stayin' together or goin' our separate ways?"

"I see no need to break up the team," the oldest man replied. He was balding on top and the heaviest of the five. A necessary cane was leaning on the wall behind him.

"Although we all have different interests and specialties," a thin and bespectacled man intoned. "Is staying together really the most profitable thing for us?"

"There must be something we can all do together," the one darker-skinned man said in a thick Southern accent. "I don't want to break up the team either."

The one man still silent, handsome with dark brown hair, averted his gaze and didn't answer aloud. _I already tried to break up the team. I was going to betray all of you and leave you in Noa's world. How can you still want me?_

"I suppose we might be able to help each other best succeed if we stay together," the balding man said. "But the only idea I have at the moment is working with Crump's penguin sanctuary."

The first man who had spoken now leaned forward, his eyes wide. "You really mean that, Gansley?!" he exclaimed.

Gansley had to gruffly smile. "We need to do something that might get us more favorably in the public eye," he said. "Plus, with a project such as that, there should be a niche for each of our special talents."

"Yeah, that's true!" Crump said with mounting enthusiasm. "We'll need tech, and a lawyer, and business strategy, and other business skills!"

The Southerner managed a smile but then sighed and stared out at the rain. "We also need to figure out how to apologize to everyone we hurt," he said. "Yugi and his friends, and Mokuba . . ."

"And Seto Kaiba?" the bespectacled man remarked. "Are you thinking of him as well, Lector?"

Lector scowled. "I don't know. We did get far too carried away, Johnson, but part of me still feels like he needs to answer for everything he did to us . . . and even to that poor child. The other part . . ." He gripped the arms of his chair. "The other part says that after what we did, we're in no position to demand anything from Mr. Kaiba. He saved our lives, which is the exact opposite of what we thought he'd do. Apparently . . . there really is still good in him after all. Not to mention that trying to go after him will only hurt Mokuba too. I realize now that he will always be loyal to Seto, whether or not he deserves it. I can't bear to do anything more to endanger that child." He looked at the others with devastation in his eyes. "I loved that boy like I've never loved any child before or since, and what did I do? I caused him to be in danger more than once because I was trying to get revenge on his brother!"

Gansley gave a weary sigh. "It's all over and done with, Lector. Yes, you're right that we need to apologize . . . although I would doubt that most, if any, of them would accept our apologies. Perhaps the best thing we can do is prove that we're turning over new leaves so that they know they don't have to worry."

"Yugi would probably accept," Johnson said. "Maybe some of his friends as well. But they're all in California right now. Mr. Kaiba too."

"So for now let's concentrate on our plans for the future," Gansley said. "Crump, you still have the blueprints and all the other ideas for your penguin sanctuary, I suppose?"

"You bet!" Crump said. "They're all at my place, though."

Gansley reached for his cane. "Then we'll go and get them. We might as well stay there to look them over; I highly doubt we'll be allowed back in this building once we depart."

"Then I hope none of us are the overly sentimental types," Johnson cracked. "We won't be seeing this room again."

It did seem bittersweet to at least some of them as they got up to leave. They had spent so many hours here through so many years. But that era was over now, somewhat because of Seto Kaiba but mostly because of their own actions. They would have to find their own ways now.

The silent man was just as glad to leave. He wasn't sentimental, and being here only pounded unhappy memories into his mind. He wanted to get away from this building, from anything involving Seto Kaiba. He was the most conflicted on what to think about the CEO. Seto had treated them all worse than dirt, insulting and stepping on them and stripping them of the power he had promised them. And yet he had preserved their lives. Why?

Well, they weren't likely to ever get an answer to that anyway. It was best just to move on.

"Hey, Nesbitt?"

He turned. It was Crump who had spoken, and he was looking at Nesbitt with genuine concern. "Are you okay?"

Nesbitt grunted. Crump was such a strange series of contrasts. He was obsessed with penguins and numbers and enjoyed the sight of a pretty girl, maybe a little too much. Sometimes he was crude and rude. But he was usually friendly and kind with his business partners. The little spats they sometimes had were meaningless. They were always still standing strong afterwards.

Crump never betrayed the others. He never would.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Nesbitt said, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"I know you're always quiet, but usually not this much," Crump said. "You're gonna go in for this with us, aren't you?"

"I guess so." Nesbitt turned to look out at the rain as they walked away from the table and towards the door. "It's still a far cry from designing weapons and vehicles that really mean something."

"I know, but hey, the rides and stuff would bring a lot of happiness," Crump said. "That means something, doesn't it?"

". . . Yeah," Nesbitt said. That was what Mokuba had said about the video games too. Ordinarily Nesbitt might have pointed that out and added that it still just wasn't his thing. But he didn't feel like objecting.

He tensed a bit as the others walked a little too close to him on their journey to the door. _How can you stand to be around me? I only looked out for myself. I hurt all of you. Why do you think I always put down human emotions and praised machines? Why do you think I wanted to be one?_

_I'm terrified of human emotions. I've shown I can't handle them. I can't be trusted!_

_I hate myself._

Lector reached behind Nesbitt to flip off the light, plunging the conference room into darkness. His eyes flickered with memories and emotions as they headed into the hall.

"Hey, what the heck is that?!" Crump exclaimed.

Everyone turned to look. He was staring out the window at a giant green beam of light shooting into the sky.

"Those have been popping up around town lately," Johnson frowned. "Maybe it has something to do with the phenomenon of Duel Monsters being seen around the world. Both events started around the same time."

"If Yugi were here, we could ask him," Lector remarked. "But I don't suppose those things have anything to do with us."

"We can hope," Gansley grunted.

****

The rain was still pouring as the men got outside and dove into the limousine Crump had sent for from his house. The chauffeur watched in awe as all five men climbed inside. From his expression, he had thought they would never emerge from the deep comas they had all gone into.

"Are we going straight home, Sir?" he asked Crump.

"Yeah, that's the plan," Crump said. "Nothing to do out here unless we wanna play in the rain."

Johnson snarked. "Honestly, Crump, with you, you might not even be kidding."

Crump smirked but shrugged. "Eh, I like snow better."

"Wait a minute!" Lector exclaimed.

The chauffeur froze. "Mr. Lector?"

Lector was leaning forward and staring out the window at an older man who had just stumbled on the curb next to the limousine. Now he seemed to be having difficulty getting back up.

"Excuse me a moment," Lector said, and opened the door to step out.

Gansley observed and shook his head. That was Lector for you. He had always been kinder and possessing more conscience than the rest of them, but they had corrupted him with their darkness. Now that they were back in their bodies and their right minds, Lector was desperately trying to pick up the pieces of his shattered life. And instead of the others dragging him down this time, they had decided to listen to him and let him pull them up.

"Hello," Lector was saying to the man outside. "May I help you?"

The older man looked embarrassed. "Oh, well, I've really got it now. I . . ." But he slipped on a puddle and stumbled back into Lector. ". . . Maybe I do need a little help," he chuckled uneasily.

Lector steadied him. "We're just leaving," he said. "Maybe we could drop you off somewhere?"

"Well . . ." The older man looked to the limousine in some amazement. "If it wouldn't be any trouble. . . ."

"No trouble, Sir," Lector insisted.

"Then I accept!" The new passenger climbed inside, now staring at the interior of the automobile in awe.

Lector chuckled and got in after him. "My name is Démas Lector," he said. "These are my business partners." He introduced the others one by one as they nodded or spoke greetings.

"And I am Solomon Muto!" the newcomer announced. "Why, you're the Big Five, aren't you? Kaiba's former board of directors?"

"Are you afraid to ride with us?" Gansley asked.

"Hmm." Solomon looked thoughtful. "Well, I know from my grandson about the sleazy things you pulled in the past. I suppose you could be acting gracious now only to pull me into some kind of a trap. But I don't really believe that. What would you want with me?"

"Your grandson?" Suddenly Johnson went stiff. "Would you happen to be Yugi Muto's grandfather?!"

"Yes, I would." Solomon folded his arms and looked tough. "And I don't appreciate any of the things you've done that have involved him and his friends."

Lector bowed his head. "We don't appreciate it either, Mr. Muto. None of it was like me at all except for wanting vengeance on Seto Kaiba, and that got out of hand as well. I am truly ashamed."

"We're all tryin' to be good guys now," Crump said. "But if you don't wanna ride with us, none of us would blame ya."

Solomon sighed and finally gave a gruff smile. "Well, I know Yugi would forgive all of you and give you a second chance. I will too. But I won't feel so forgiving if you go back on your word."

"We won't, I can assure you," Gansley said. "Where would you like us to take you?"

"The Turtle Game Shop," Solomon said. "I'll give you directions."

****

Riding with Solomon Muto was an interesting experience. He was indeed open-minded and willing to give them more chances, and they actually shared a pleasant conversation on the way back to the Turtle Game Shop. By the time they let him out at the doorstep, he promised to put in a good word for all of them to Yugi and the others when they got home.

"Well, that was nice," Crump blinked, leaning back in the plush seat.

"Don't expect that everyone will be so easy to forgive us, Crump," Johnson cautioned. "I highly doubt that Joseph and Tristan and Duke will be feeling as congenial."

"They've got no reason to feel otherwise," Nesbitt grunted.

"Sadly true," Lector sighed. "But as Gansley said, all we can do is try our best to be good and show that we've changed. Then it's up to them whether to be willing to accept us or not."

Johnson's eyes flickered. Both he and Gansley wondered whether they would really be able to stick to being good. They had been the worst of the group and had not been the nicest people even in childhood. To try to change after their decades of living was a highly daunting and even frightening prospect. But they were all badly shaken by how far they had fallen due to cyberspace warping their minds. They wanted to improve. Having Lector as their guide, they hoped, they would have the best possible chance of success.

With this detour adventure out of the way, they all went to Crump's house as planned and looked over his blueprints for some time as night fell and deepened. The rain continued to drum on the windows while they worked and planned and brainstormed for the future. As Penguin World started to take more of a solid shape in all of their minds, it seemed more and more that it really might be able to come to pass.

At last Crump sat up straight and stretched. "Hey, you know, it's getting late," he said. "And it's still storming and everything. It's our first night out of the infirmary. What do you say we just all crash here for the night?"

"That's perfectly alright with me," Gansley said. "We've all got some of our clothes in each of our homes anyway." They all lived near each other, and over the years they had taken to staying over at each other's homes at times when they were working late on KaibaCorp business. Sometimes it had proved to be the most convenient option.

The others chorused in the affirmative.

Nesbitt found it a relief to escape upstairs to his room. The more he was around the others, the harder it was for him to keep up his facade of normalcy. Crump had already started to see through it, but Nesbitt had warded him off. There was nothing he could do, nothing that would take away what Nesbitt had done to them. He sank onto the bed with his tie half-undone, clasping his hands in front of him as he stared blankly at the floor.

"I just want this pain to go away," he whispered. "I want to know I won't hurt them again."

But there could be no guarantee of that. Not while he was a weak, deeply flawed human.

Sleep finally settled over him, but when after a while he started awake in the darkness of the room, gasping and breathing heavily from the unpleasant memory his mind had showed him, it was clear that sleep wouldn't return for a while. Finally he snarled and threw back the covers. He would try just walking for a while, even if it was still raining.

He was somewhat gratified to find that the rain had stopped. He slipped out the back door and shoved his hands in his pockets. He wouldn't walk for long, just long enough to try to clear his mind and ease the burden on his heart.

He knew it wouldn't really ease up, though. His guilt and sorrow had started when it had first really sunk in what he had done to the others by trying to leave Noa's world alone when he thought he had the chance. It had only steadily grown since then. He could only see himself as a twisted, terrible person with no redeeming qualities whatsoever. They had all been twisted regarding Seto and Yugi and their crew, but none of the others had tried to betray their partners. Despite whatever juvenile spats they had, that had remained true for all of them except Nesbitt.

He snarled and lunged, driving his fist into a nearby billboard positioned close to the ground.

His self-hatred had started forming many years back, when he had first really realized that he had no sexual desire and his parents couldn't accept that he was so different from what they felt a normal person would be. But maybe seeds had been planted years before that, when the kids in school had mostly jeered him and disliked that he was different because he liked to build things instead of playing however they thought he should play.

Those were things that weren't bad, however. But his bad temper and reckless, impulsive pride had gotten him into so much trouble, and even the other men as well. He had tried to abandon the others. Then he had ruined their chances in that duel against Yugi and Joey by thinking he knew it all. He had ruined everything, and yet they still let him stay and never even spoke of what had happened.

_Are they all blind?!_

Footsteps came to a stop just to the side of the billboard and he looked up with a start. A man with long turquoise hair and a purple business suit was standing over him. "Robert Nesbitt?"

He straightened his posture in an instant. "What do you want?" He recognized the man, a mysterious businessman who turned up at some of the business dinners he had been forced to attend as a member of KaibaCorp's board of directors. He certainly didn't want to show such weakness of spirit to a near-stranger like that.

"I want to offer you a chance to do what you have always wanted—surrender your weak side for good." The man held out a hand to him. "I can give you the power to do that."

Nesbitt took several steps back. "How do you know what I want?!" he retorted. "That's impossible!"

"Quite possible, actually," was the reply. "Everyone has heard you talk about how machines are better than people. And I can see in your eyes that you feel that way largely because of yourself and your weaknesses."

"Yeah?" Nesbitt gave him a wary look. "And how do you think you can change that? It's not like people will ever change, including me. There's no way to rout out the weak parts of them." He clenched a fist. "We'll always just go on doing the worst possible things in any given situation."

A faint smile. "Yes, I know. Only the select few chosen by the sacred Orichalcos can overcome this fallacy."

"The what?" Nesbitt stared at him.

"The Orichalcos. Surely you've seen its light throughout the city of late. It's a holy stone that descended from the skies long ago and began to test humanity. It discovered that most of them were evil."

"Yeah, well, it sure wouldn't find anything different about me," Nesbitt grunted. "I'd fail its test."

"Perhaps not." The man studied him. "I've been observing you and your friends. Out of all of them, it is you, I believe, who has the most promise."

Nesbitt narrowed his eyes. "Why are you so anxious to recruit me anyway? If I accepted this . . . Orichalcos, what would you get out of it? I know you wouldn't be offering it to me with no strings attached."

"You would help me remake the world as it once was," he was told. "I am seeking to bring back Paradise."

"Every person has a different idea of Paradise," Nesbitt pointed out. He folded his arms. "Mine is probably nothing like yours."

"On at least one matter, we are the same," the man said. "We don't want weaklings around." He looked deeply into Nesbitt's eyes, his gaze all at once piercing straight through to the tortured soul. "If you surrender your weak side, you could be one of my strongest warriors."

Nesbitt wavered. ". . . I think you're insane."

"And yet you want with all your heart for me to be telling the truth."

Finally Nesbitt nodded. "Yes. I . . . I betrayed the only people who ever may have cared about me. There is no excuse for what I have done."

"Then try my power and see if I am telling the truth. If I am insane, you have lost nothing. No one will know. But if I am correct, you will be able to give yourself over to the Orichalcos and be remade into the strong man you have always wanted to be and the good friend you are just starting to realize you want to be."

Nesbitt hesitated again. ". . . You say you have power. Is this some kind of magic?"

"It's divinity."

Not that that sounded much less bizarre to the agnostic man. In his normal frame of mind, he likely would have scoffed and refused. But he had been caught at the end of his rope, in the pit of devastation. He was actually, unbelievably, ready to listen.

"Give me your power," he said at last. "I don't want to be what I am. I want to be strong."

A calm, knowing smile. "And so you shall." The man reached out, touching Nesbitt's forehead.

The electricity that shot into him all at once was like nothing he had ever felt. It swept over him, through him, coursing through his veins. And as the symbol of the Orichalcos appeared on his forehead, his eyes hardened. He had given up his weak side. Now he would indeed be strong.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wish the dub had kept that Gansley actually knew about Atem! (Although whether he thought that Atem was a split personality or a separate entity is unknown.) Seriously, Gansley doesn't get enough credit. He's awesome.

It was Crump who started awake next. He jerked in the bed, disoriented as his eyes opened to the darkness of the room around him. It took a moment to process that it was his room this time and not any of the rooms at the KaibaCorp infirmary. But once he fully grasped that, he sat up and let the quilt fall from his shoulders to his lap.

"I'm really home," he whispered. "And the other guys are here too."

At the infirmary, they had all been caught checking in on each other, making sure they were all really there and alive and in their right minds. Now Crump swung his legs over the side of the bed and got up, heading into the hall. He would do that again tonight as well.

He had to smile as he looked in on Gansley. Their leader was soundly asleep and seemed very peaceful. Gansley was a deep sleeper; it took a lot to wake him. Johnson and Lector, too, appeared to be relaxed and enjoying their new surroundings.

He frowned when he opened the door to Nesbitt's room and saw the empty bed with the covers thrown back. "He's gone," he said aloud. "Where?"

It wasn't unusual for Nesbitt to wake up in the middle of the night and get a new idea he wanted to sketch out. But after Crump went through every room of the house with no success, he was worried.

"I knew something was wrong," he said in dismay. "Why didn't I keep on about that?! Nesbitt hasn't been right since we got back! I saw that, but he always denied it!" He slumped forward, gripping at the wall with one hand.

"Crump?"

He turned in surprise. Lector was standing at the bottom of the stairs, watching him in confused concern.

Crump sighed heavily. "Nesbitt's gone," he said. "Remember, I said before something was wrong with him!"

"But there wasn't anything we could do about it when he wouldn't tell us," Lector said. He frowned. "He's probably just out for a walk. Or maybe he went home to his kendo training room."

Crump took out his phone and tapped out a text. "Well, he's not responding," he frowned. "Maybe he didn't even take his phone with him."

"Nesbitt always has his phone with him," Lector said. "Or his Smartwatch."

Crump sighed again. "Lector . . . you don't still hate him, do you?"

Lector blinked in surprise. "I never hated him, Crump," he protested. "We've just never got along that well. But you and I have had our differences as well."

"Yeah, we've all had some problems," Crump said. "But it's always seemed the worst with you and Nesbitt. And I know you were mad at him for what happened in Noa's world."

Lector looked away. "We were all we had. Yes, it made me angry that Nesbitt didn't value that more. But you told me that any of us could have acted like that if we'd had a moment of weakness thinking we could finally escape. It didn't sink in at first, but then I really knew you were probably right. And none of us were in our right minds. How could I stay angry at Nesbitt under those circumstances?"

Crump managed a sad smile. "I'm glad."

Lector walked over to the window. "It is strange that he doesn't answer," he said. "This . . . whatever it is that's been bothering him. . . . You don't suppose he's angry with us for some reason?"

Crump snorted. "When Nesbitt is mad at somebody, everybody knows it!"

"That's true enough," Lector sighed. "But then what?!"

Suddenly the front door opened and Nesbitt walked in, fully determined, his eyes steel. A turquoise ring was on his finger.

"Nesbitt?!" Both Lector and Crump were staring. "Where on Earth have you been?! We were worried!" It was Lector who had spoken, but Crump nodded in complete agreement.

"Worried?" Nesbitt countered. "Why? I can take care of myself."

Crump gawked at him. "Yeah, maybe so, but we know you've been feelin' bad about something. Can't you just let your guard down enough to tell us what it is? And what's with that ring?! You're not into jewelry!"

By now Gansley and Johnson had both awakened as well and were sleepily coming to the head of the stairs. Before they could ask what was going on, Nesbitt spoke again.

"The ring holds the greatest power this world has ever known." He held up his hand, letting the ring catch the light from a nearby chandelier.

"Seriously?!" Crump snorted. "It looks like those lights we've been seein' around town!"

"That's exactly what it is—the Orichalcos!" Nesbitt's eyes gleamed. "I am no longer weak, and I want to share my power with you. If all of you join me, we'll build a new world together."

"We'll _whaaat?!_ " Crump could only gape at his normally level-headed friend. "Nesbitt, what the heck's got into you?! Did you join some cult or something?!"

"The Orichalcos is divine," Nesbitt replied. "It takes away weakness and grants strength."

"And what else does it do?" Johnson finally spoke. He came down the stairs, with Gansley following close behind him. "What's happening when those lights go up all over town?"

"The Orichalcos is weeding out the strong from the weak," Nesbitt said. "It claims souls to feed to the Great Leviathan. The beast needs that power in order to remake the world."

Lector's stomach twisted. "And you would join something like that?!" He ran over and gripped Nesbitt's upper arms. "We all promised Mr. Muto we were turning our lives around! We promised we were going to be good people! I have no desire to get involved in something like this, and normally you wouldn't touch it with a ten-foot pole! Nesbitt, what happened to you?!" He stared helplessly into the younger man's dark brown eyes. What he saw looking back at him was a cold stranger. Shaken, he let go and stumbled back. "Nesbitt . . ."

"I just decided to finally do something about myself," Nesbitt said. He clenched his fists and looked away. Finally a bit of humanity flickered in his eyes again. "I . . . I couldn't stand being so weak. . . ."

"Nesbitt, you were never weak!" Johnson protested.

"I was!" Nesbitt boomed. He looked back to Johnson with a jerk, the anger and self-hatred flaming in his eyes. "I know myself better than you do. And you've been weak too! You always break under pressure! How can you stand there and say I'm not weak?!"

Johnson wavered to hear his insecurities flung in his face, but he quickly recovered. "Because you're stronger than me!" he cried.

"That's impossible! I was the weakest link in our group!" Nesbitt looked down at his ring. "But now I'm the strongest."

Gansley came closer, staring up at him in dismay. "Nesbitt . . . if we'd only known you were so unhappy . . ."

"You'd what? What could you have done?" Nesbitt snapped. "There's nothing any of you could have done! I had to fix myself by myself. The Orichalcos has done more for me than any of you ever could!"

Crump especially looked slapped in the face. Lector flinched.

"Oh, is that so?" he countered. "Then wouldn't you say the Orichalcos fixed you instead of you fixing yourself? You didn't even give any of us the chance to try to help you! You didn't trust us even after all the years we've known each other! Why was that, Nesbitt?! None of us ever betrayed you! You're the one who did that to us!"

As soon as the words were out of Lector's mouth, he realized he had made a mistake. A dark, flaming aura shot up around Nesbitt, engulfing him as he screamed in rage. Turquoise exploded from his body, blasting all four men halfway across the room.

"So, that's your final answer then?!" Nesbitt's voice was rough and harsh, filled with an unheard-of evil. "You're rejecting my offer? I'll make sure all of you are sent on to power up the Leviathan! And I'm taking your hypocritical, judgmental soul first, Lector! You always hated me! Now you'll see it was always mutual!"

The front door slammed hard enough to vibrate through the entire room. For a moment the Big Four didn't move, couldn't move, more shaken emotionally than physically.

Finally Crump sat up, trembling as he looked to the others. "Are you guys okay?!" he exclaimed. "Gansley?!"

Gansley groaned, groping for the edge of a nearby chair as he pulled himself into a sitting position. "Incredibly, nothing is broken," he said.

"Speak for yourself," Johnson exclaimed. He had also leaped up and now he was staring at Lector. The Southerner hadn't moved and was instead just staring blankly up at the ceiling, looking absolutely shattered. The anger that had fueled him moments before was completely gone.

"Lector?!" Crump scrambled over to him. "Hey! Come on, you know that wasn't really Nesbitt talking, don't you?! He'd never act like that in his right mind! That Orichalcos thing just really did a number on him!"

"The Orichalcos?" Lector mumbled.

Crump nodded. "I never believed in magic before, but there's no science that could do what Nesbitt just did!"

"It doesn't seem so, does it," Gansley grunted.

Lector finally stirred, rolling onto his side. "Even if it's responsible, it probably took the feelings Nesbitt had deep in his heart and brought them out," he said. "I thought things were getting better between us. But maybe he's hated me all along. Maybe that's what's been bothering him! I never hated him . . . I didn't. . . ."

"Oh Buddy . . ." Crump knelt next to him and reached to grip his shoulder. "He doesn't hate you either! I know he doesn't! He's just . . . really lost right now. . . ." He drew a shuddering breath.

Lector sat up. "Lost is an understatement. He's going to steal souls to feed to some giant sea snake!"

"No, he's not, because we're gonna stop him!" Crump cried.

"And just how are we going to do that, Crump?" Gansley pulled himself to his feet. "If he's truly endowed with some sort of dark magic force, what on Earth do we have that can compete with that, especially with Yugi in California?"

"Well . . ." Crump gave a helpless shrug. "We could talk to his grandpa, maybe?"

"And we did all that research on Yugi and the others," Johnson mused. "There's that other boy who's a friend of theirs who wasn't with them in their virtual reality experiences. Bakura, is it? He has some kind of a magical object similar to Yugi's."

Gansley slowly nodded. "Yes, that's right," he said. "Perhaps Bakura didn't go with them to California either. We should look into that."

"So you see?! There's stuff we can do!" Crump stood and grabbed for the landline phone on the end table. "Nesbitt wouldn't let us help him before, when we tried. But we're sure as heck gonna help him now!"

Lector finally stumbled to his feet as well and just stood by, watching Crump get the number of the Turtle Game Shop from the seldom-used phone book and start punching in the digits. He was still reeling and he was sure his expression showed it. Nesbitt had completely shattered his heart. He still wasn't convinced Nesbitt didn't hate him. But more than that, what devastated him the most was the thought that somehow this was his fault. He and Nesbitt weren't close, but he had thought they at least respected and trusted each other in their right minds. Instead, it was Lector's angry, hurt words that had tipped Nesbitt off the scales moments earlier.

 _I should have controlled myself better,_ he thought in dismay. _Gansley was right that Nesbitt and I are too alike in some ways. We both have bad tempers, even if it's different things that set us off._

And Crump was right that Nesbitt had been acting out of sorts ever since they had been restored to their bodies. They had all noticed, but none of them had been able to figure out why. Nesbitt had always insisted he was fine and didn't leave them any room to pursue the line of questioning. Was he right that they couldn't have helped him if they had known?

Lector bowed his head. _Oh Nesbitt. . . . What happened to you and why wouldn't you let us help you through it? Now look what you've done to yourself, and what you're going to do to others!_

Nesbitt had always been a strange man, reclusive and hard to get to know. He closed himself off on almost every topic except machines. He loved technology and had gotten into many arguments with Lector on why machines were or were not better than people. Lector had never really understood Nesbitt's manias, but the brilliance of the man had caused him to keep Nesbitt on even when he had been so frustrated as to want to fire him. Then he and Gansley had mutually chosen Nesbitt to be on the board of directors when Gozaburo Kaiba had left it up to them to pick the other members. Being on equal ground had enabled Lector and Nesbitt to start understanding each other at least somewhat better, although they still had problems. And now . . . now Nesbitt was suddenly hard to understand on a whole other level.

It was impossible to stop some of the darker thoughts from going through Lector's mind. Did they really know Nesbitt well enough to know that this wasn't something he would do? Maybe he had always been a stranger to them. He didn't like humanity as a whole. Maybe something like this was the next step. . . .

Lector clenched a fist. No! Crump was also right that Nesbitt wasn't in his right mind. Whatever this Orichalcos was, it was evil and it was what had warped the man they knew into a complete stranger. But . . . there had to be a way to get him back, didn't there?

The thought that they couldn't was so devastating, it felt like Lector had been punched completely through his body.

Crump hung up the phone, drawing him back to the present. "Mr. Muto doesn't know a whole lot about the Orichalcos, but what he knows isn't good," he announced. "He's gonna try to call Yugi and find out more. He said for us to come right over."

"That's very good of him," Gansley said in some surprise. "I'll admit I thought he might not want anything to do with us."

"I guess he realized I really meant it when I was worried about Nesbitt on the phone," Crump said. "Let's go." He looked to Lector. "Are you gonna be okay?"

Lector considered the question and shook his head. "Only if we can save him," he said quietly.

Crump gripped his shoulder. "We're gonna," he insisted.

"And what are the odds of that, Crump?" Lector asked as they all headed for the door.

Crump's grip tightened. "100%."

****

Outside in the darkness, Nesbitt gripped at his heart as he stumbled down the street. He didn't understand any of what had just transpired. He had spoken, but . . . the words weren't his. The thoughts weren't his. The threats were definitely not his.

Only they were, of course. What was he thinking? It wasn't as if the Orichalcos had a mind of its own. It was just a stone. He had accepted its power and he had become stronger. Everything he had said and done in there proved it.

But that wasn't strength! It wasn't what he had wanted when he had accepted the Orichalcos! It was the opposite of what he had wanted! The realization of what he had been saying and doing had terrified him into turning and running away, but now he just felt dizzy and sick. The merciless force was trying to get hold of him again.

"What's . . . what's happening to me?" he gasped. "Why . . ."

The turquoise-haired man was suddenly there again, standing on the grass to the side of the sidewalk, his hands behind his back. "Why didn't you begin your mission, Mr. Nesbitt?" he asked in some irritation. "Why did you leave without capturing even one soul?"

"I . . ." Nesbitt looked over, blinking at him through the haze over his mind. "I wanted them to join me. . . ."

"Yes, but they didn't," was the impatient reply. "You were supposed to take them down if they wouldn't agree."

"But . . ." Nesbitt stopped walking and drew a shuddering breath. "They . . . they're my friends. . . . You said this power would make me into a better friend to them. . . ."

"And what could be a better friend than someone who remakes this treacherous world into the Paradise it once was?"

Nesbitt hissed in pain. The Orichalcos symbol on his forehead was absolutely throbbing. And his heart . . . his heart just kept hurting so much. . . . The harsh words they had exchanged at Crump's house. . . . Was that why?

"If they're not there to enjoy it with me, what's the point?" he rasped at last. "I . . . I love them. . . . Don't make me do this to them! Please . . ."

"You made your own choice to accept the Orichalcos and all that comes with it," the man told him.

"I accepted it because of what you told me!" Nesbitt burst out. "You didn't even say anything about stealing souls until after I said Yes!"

A frown crossed the ageless features. "I can see you're still fighting against the Orichalcos even though you have accepted it. I hadn't expected that seeing your friends would start to break through to you. I certainly didn't have this problem with Ms. Valentine. I wonder what the difference is. In any case, I will have to do something about it."

Nesbitt took a step back. "What are you going to do?!" he demanded.

"Only to open you up to the full experience. I need you at your full strength in order to become one of my most valuable warriors, as I promised you you would be."

"But this isn't what I even signed up for!" Nesbitt countered. "I want out of this deal! Who are you?!"

"My name is Dartz," was the smooth reply, "and unfortunately, this deal is one-way. You've already made your choice. Now you must live with it." Again he touched Nesbitt's forehead. The Orichalcos symbol burned brightly, casting a green beam up into the sky. "Ms. Valentine had no problem focusing on only the negative about her friends. Perhaps you merely need . . . more encouragement."

Nesbitt fell to his knees, a chilling scream tearing from his lips. Again the dark aura enveloped him. When it faded this time, there was no trace of humanity in his eyes.

"Now then," Dartz said, "what are you going to do?"

Nesbitt slowly got to his feet. "The others betrayed me, especially Lector," he said darkly. "Now they're all going to pay."

****

Solomon was wide awake and waiting when the Big Four pulled up in front of the Turtle Game Shop. He mentally counted those who had come and frowned to himself. "Oh, so Nesbitt is the quiet one who barely spoke this afternoon," he remarked as he opened the door for them. They all trouped inside.

"Nesbitt has never been very sociable," Lector said. "But he's also not the type of person to do something like this! I didn't even know he believed in magic!"

"He doesn't," Crump said. "That just goes to show how bad he was feeling!" He looked to Solomon. "Something's been bothering him for days now, but he won't talk to us about it. Apparently it has something to do with feeling he's weak."

Solomon nodded. "I finally reached Téa and she says the Orichalcos definitely seems to prey on people's weaknesses." His eyes clouded. "A friend of theirs has also fallen victim to its evil."

"So what can we do?!" Crump exclaimed. "There's gotta be some way to get past this!"

"I'm not sure what to do," Solomon admitted. "They don't know how to help their friend either."

"Not even Yugi's magic helps?" Johnson frowned.

"Apparently not," Solomon frowned back.

"Then I suppose that other boy, Bakura, wouldn't have any luck to that effect either," Gansley said.

"It wouldn't hurt to ask him," Solomon said. "But say, how do you know about Yugi's magic anyway?" He closed one eye and squinted at Gansley.

"I've done extensive research," Gansley said. "I also know about the two Yugis."

"Well, well, you have been busy," Solomon remarked. "Not even Seto Kaiba has been that observant. Or if he has, he denies it." He chuckled.

"Nevermind about this!" Crump exclaimed. "Can we call Bakura now?!"

"It's the middle of the night," Solomon said in disbelief. "I know it's hard to remember sometimes, but they're just kids. Bakura has school tomorrow."

"I do hate to impose," Lector said, "but I'm afraid I feel like this problem is much more critical than school. This Orichalcos madness can't be left unchecked, and with poor Nesbitt using it, we're all desperate to stop it and save him."

Sadness flickered in Solomon's eyes. "Well, what I do know about the Orichalcos isn't good," he said. "It's not just a stone, but also a Field card that can be played during a duel. Once someone is in an Orichalcos duel, the loser will always have his soul taken away. And as for the Orichalcos users themselves, there doesn't appear to be any way to break the control it has over them. They have to accept it in the first place for it to work on them."

Lector slammed his hands on the top of the glass counter. "I won't believe there's no hope!" he cried. "I can't believe that Nesbitt is lost to us forever! There has to be a way to save him, just like there was a way for us to get back to our bodies when we thought it impossible!"

Solomon's look was still sad, but he smiled a bit. "You have the same determination as my Yugi," he said. "He never gives up on any of his family or friends. Yugi always finds the way to triumph when the odds are against him. I believe that if you never give up either, you will also triumph."

Gansley grunted. "The way Yugi triumphs is by drawing exactly the right cards when they're needed."

"That's only part of it," Solomon insisted. "The real reason Yugi triumphs is because of love. I can see that all of you love your friend very much. And perhaps that will give you the edge over the Orichalcos."

Lector bowed his head. _A friend . . . not just a business partner. We progressed beyond that some time ago._

"Yes," he said quietly. "You're right, Sir. We . . . I . . . love him dearly. No matter what he's done, he's still one of us. He's still worth fighting for."

_It's strange to say this. Usually I turn against someone who's turned against me. But I don't have the heart in this case. Does Nesbitt truly think I hate him? I am still angry and hurt that Nesbitt didn't come to us about what was bothering him and he went to these extremes instead. But . . . I feel differently about him than I did about Seto Kaiba. I still love him. I still want to fight for him. And I don't believe he deliberately turned against us, as Mr. Kaiba did. This dark force did it to him._

"Under all this crazy talk and freaky new power is a good guy," Crump said. "Hey . . . does he even know he's our friend? I mean, we've told him, right?!"

"If not in words, then certainly in actions," Gansley said.

"But when we find him again, we should tell him outright," Johnson said. "Nesbitt isn't known for always being able to pick up on things if they're not spelled out in his face."

Solomon gave them all a kind smile. "I'll call Bakura now, if you'd like," he said. "But I should warn you that unlike with Yugi, the other presence inhabiting Bakura's body is not a benevolent one." He grimaced, his eyes flickering with the memory of a past encounter.

Johnson grimaced too. "Would he still help us?"

"I believe so, if it would suit his needs," Solomon said. "However . . ." He hesitated again. "He may think that the only solution is to force Nesbitt into an Orichalcos duel and cause him to lose."

"That isn't a solution!" Lector burst out. "We can't let anything happen that could cause him to lose his soul!"

"I quite agree," Solomon said. "But if you're looking for another magic user, I'm afraid he's all we've got."

The Big Four exchanged worried looks with each other before Gansley spoke again at last. "We'll have to see what he says," he said. "But if that's the only solution he can come up with, we're not interested in his help."

Solomon nodded. "I will call him." He lifted the receiver.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I fully embrace the dub's depiction of Lector as a Southerner and have a complex backstory for him as a Creole from New Orleans.

Yami Bakura was in a less than amiable mood that night.

He was already annoyed in general by the appearance of the Orichalcos and its soul-stealing magic. He had just thought he was going to get his plans underway for reuniting the Millennium Items and opening the door to the afterlife, but now this new madness had to interfere. It had even drained the power of the Egyptian God Cards before those bikers had stolen them! And Bakura hadn't even been invited to California with the others. Of course, their reason for that was logical—Bakura still had a stab wound from Battle City and needed to recover. Yami Bakura had grudgingly agreed and had not followed them. Bakura would rest up, and hopefully Yugi would do Yami Bakura's dirty work for him and stop this new threat in time.

The telephone ringing in the middle of the night was a nuisance. He scowled at it, tempted not to answer. But then again, it wasn't usual for that to happen. Perhaps it was a matter of importance. He put on his best Bakura voice and picked up the receiver. "Hello?"

"Oh hello, Bakura," came Solomon Muto's voice. Foolish old man. "I'm sorry to bother you in the middle of the night, but we're having a crisis here and we wondered if there was any chance you might be able to help."

"I wasn't asleep," Yami Bakura replied. "Tell me what it is and I'll do my best."

"Hold on a minute," came a strong Southernly-accented voice. "I'm still not so sure we should be talking to this Mr. Bakura at all. You said the other entity isn't benevolent and might only want to get Nesbitt out of the way. If he's so belligerent, he might not cooperate if we tell him not to harm Nesbitt!"

". . . Hmm." Solomon frowned. "You do have a point; he certainly wasn't cooperative when I met him."

"But if we need a magic user, we really don't have another choice," Johnson worried. "We're no match for Nesbitt in his condition!"

Yami Bakura scowled more. So the old man had talked about his existence to these people. Well, he supposed that shouldn't be a surprise, but it was irritating. And it sounded like they really did have a problem. If they were actually turning to him for help, they must be desperate. And now he wanted to know what was up.

"If you tell me what it is, I'll know whether either of us can be of any help," he said. It was fortunate that Yugi wasn't there; he would know immediately that he was talking to Yami Bakura and not the boy. Bakura would never suggest that Yami Bakura could help.

"Can you promise that the other entity won't harm Nesbitt?!" the Southerner demanded.

"Well . . . he could always say No to helping at all if he feels he'd have to hurt him," Yami Bakura said.

"If not even Yugi knows how to help us, though, how would he do any better?" the Southerner persisted.

Yami Bakura's eye twitched. "You'll never know unless you ask."

"I think we should at least run it past him, Lector," another voice spoke up in the background. "It's true that we don't have to have his help. This is just like . . . a free consultation."

A resigned sigh. "Alright."

Yami Bakura listened in growing irritation as Solomon and his new friends expounded the problem. Apparently one of the Big Five had gotten hold of the Orichalcos and now had lost his mind. His friends were desperate to get him back.

"I know it's probably a long shot," Solomon was saying now, "but we hoped perhaps your Millennium Ring could do something against the power of the Orichalcos and possibly break its control. Of course, we absolutely don't want you to do anything that could harm him."

"Well, we can most certainly try," Yami Bakura said, still pretending to be his descendant. "I don't know how much help we'd be, though. . . ."

"We don't want you to put yourself in any unnecessary danger either," Solomon said. "But if there is anything you could do to save him, we would be very grateful."

"I'll experiment and get back to you," Yami Bakura said.

"If the only thing you can do will end up hurting him, then we don't want you to do it," Lector interjected.

"Yes, of course," Yami Bakura answered.

He hung up, frowning. This was hardly what he wanted to do right now. It would be better for him to stay hidden in the shadows until this all blew over. He didn't need to attract the attention of the one behind this.

Still, perhaps if he did get involved and took down some of the proponents of this madness, it might weaken the leader and allow for his defeat to come that much sooner. It might be worth looking into at that.

A flash of light. "What are you doing?" Bakura was standing before him in astral form, frowning.

Yami Bakura scowled. The boy grew more and more rebellious and resistent to his spells. He had always tried to keep Bakura asleep when he took over so that Bakura wouldn't know about or see the things he did, but that worked less and less, especially after their time together in the Shadow Realm. That had been a strange and downright bizarre experience. He had been forced to protect the boy repeatedly against the monsters and lost souls, and at one point, Bakura had even protected him. Now that they were back in the real world, Bakura wanted more and more to know what was going on and his will was becoming quite troublesome.

"You heard the conversation, didn't you?" he grunted.

"I'm afraid I did," Bakura said. "But are you really going to try to help them, or are you just going to put that poor man out of the way?"

"I want to find out exactly how the Orichalcos works and what its strengths and weaknesses are," Yami Bakura said. "I'm going to go out and see what kinds of Orichalcos servants are about. If we happen to run into that man, I'll find out from him."

"That doesn't answer the question," Bakura countered.

"I don't know the answer until I see him for myself," Yami Bakura snapped. He got up and went to get his Duel Disk and deck from the bedroom.

Bakura followed. "You pretended to be me and promised we'd try to help! If you don't give him a fair chance, I will do everything I can to stop you," he warned.

Yami Bakura scowled more. "I'm certainly not going to let him send us to be fed to the Leviathan," he said.

"Then don't get us into a situation where that is the case!" Bakura retorted.

"If there's another way, I'll find it," Yami Bakura said as he slid the Duel Disk into place on his arm.

Seeing that further conversation was useless, Bakura fell silent but stayed out, walking with Yami Bakura out of the house and into the unknown.

****

Solomon sighed as he hung up the phone. That had gone fairly well, but he was also wondering if he had made the right decision. Ordinarily he wouldn't have thought of contacting a spirit who had quite gleefully knocked him unconscious, but he hadn't known what else to do if they needed someone with magic. It truly was an impossibly distressing situation.

"So . . . were we talking to Bakura or the other guy?" Crump wondered.

"To be honest, I'm not even sure," Solomon admitted. "But if it was the real Bakura, I'm sure the spirit will take over and not allow Bakura to put himself in danger experimenting with magic."

Lector sighed. "I hope this wasn't a bad idea."

"Right now, I'm afraid it was our only option where magic is concerned," Solomon said. "Although . . . I've been thinking about something. Why did Nesbitt threaten to steal your souls and then just turn around and leave? Why didn't he start an Orichalcos duel right then? He surely could have."

". . . Hey, yeah!" Crump exclaimed. "Maybe he didn't because he really didn't wanna do that to us! Maybe he was breaking free of the control then!"

"It's a nice thought, Crump," Gansley sighed. "I suppose it could have some merit."

"Nesbitt's a strong-willed person!" Crump insisted. "I'm sure he could start breakin' through the control and realize what was going on! And if he did, there's no way he'd just stand by and accept it! He'd fight back any way he knew how!"

"But . . . could that really be true?" Lector couldn't keep the plaintive tones out of his voice. "I'm the one who set him off. He was furious! How could that have broken through the control? Anger would surely make it worse!" He looked away. "And you thought I hated him too, Crump. How do I know he doesn't think it?"

Crump wilted. "Lector . . ."

Lector passed a hand over his forehead. "I'm afraid I just can't know what to believe until I talk to Nesbitt when he's in his right mind again. And the way things are, I wonder if that even has a chance of happening. Even if he started to break through the control, I'm sure it tightened its grip or he would've still been around for us to find."

"Not necessarily," Johnson intoned. "He could have fled in panicked desperation to try to keep us safe."

"And I'm thinking we shouldn't stand by and just let this mysterious spirit try to find him for us," Gansley spoke. "We should go out looking for him too."

"I was about to suggest the same thing," Solomon admitted. "I'm wondering if there's any way you could get through to him without the need for a magic user."

"I don't know," Johnson said. He hesitated. "After the way he acted, I wonder if he'd be less likely to be receptive to us than a stranger. . . ."

"We should still try," Lector said. "I . . ." He heaved a sigh. "I should apologize to him, see if that will make any difference. . . ."

"It might just make him more mad," Crump said. "But on the other hand . . . yeah, it might get through to him. We should definitely try!"

"I'll come with you and help look, if you want," Solomon offered.

Lector blinked in surprise. "Thank you," he said sincerely. "We can use the help."

"We can check the obvious places first—his home, his kendo school. . . . But he might not do the obvious." Gansley sighed.

"I'll take the house," Crump volunteered.

"We could split up, but I'm not sure any of us should go alone," Johnson said in concern. "If he really meant that threat, any of us could be in extreme danger if we encounter him alone."

"Hey, you're the one who said maybe he left to protect us," Crump frowned.

"And maybe he did. But I'm sure the Orichalcos would exercise its hold over him again," Johnson said. "We can't afford to let down our guard."

"Unfortunately, I agree with Johnson," Gansley said. "We'll split up and I'll go with Johnson while Lector and Crump are together. Mr. Muto, you can join either group."

"I will come with you and Mr. Johnson," Solomon said. He came out from around the counter. "We can take my truck and Mr. Lector and Mr. Crump can take the limousine all of you brought."

"I just hope this works," Lector worried.

Crump looked to Lector as they walked back to the limousine and climbed inside. It was obvious that the other man was still badly hurting and shaken from the encounter they'd had with Nesbitt, and Crump certainly couldn't blame him. But he also had the feeling that Lector was upset about something else as well.

"Hey, I'm sorry I said that thing about you hating Nesbitt," Crump said at last. "I shouldn't have said that. I mean, that word gets thrown around so lightly these days. People are always saying it and not meaning it."

"But you meant it, didn't you, Crump?" Lector replied. "You really thought I hated him. . . ."

Crump's shoulders slumped. "I don't know what I thought," he said honestly. "I know you guys haven't got along well, and . . ."

Lector turned away, but not before Crump saw the sadness and hurt in his eyes. ". . . You were so adamant that Nesbitt doesn't hate me," he said. "Do you really think so, or were you just saying that to try to make me feel better?"

"I've talked to him about you before!" Crump said. "He's frustrated with you a lot, but he's never said he hates you!"

"Maybe he wouldn't say that to you, since he knows you like me," Lector said. "Occasionally Nesbitt can use tact."

"He doesn't hate you!" Crump insisted in dismay.

Lector sighed, staring out the tinted window at the night. "What could have ever got him so upset that he would turn to a dark magic force for answers and comfort?" he said sorrowfully. "I just don't understand."

"I've gotta agree with you on that, Buddy," Crump said. "I don't get it either. He's been hurting so bad, and he's convinced he's weak . . . but what even makes him think that?!" He scratched his head. "You don't think . . ."

"What?!" Lector looked to him with a jerk.

"Would he really feel that bad about the mess in Noa's world?" Crump wondered. "I never thought he did, or would, but . . . that's the only thing I can come up with why he'd feel weak all of a sudden. . . ."

Lector frowned. "It doesn't really sound like him," he said. "He had no shame there about what he did."

"Yeah, only none of us had much, if any, shame about what we were doing!" Crump countered. "We were lost in our own darkness and so scared of being stuck there forever. It was only when we could really see things clearly again that we started being horrified about it."

"But Nesbitt's a logical person," Lector said. "Wouldn't he recognize that?"

"He always talks about machines bein' better than people," Crump said. "I get the feeling he wants to be more machine than man. Nah, if he really started thinkin' about how he messed up, I think he'd be pretty upset at himself for failing his self-imposed goals."

"But upset to this extent?!" Lector exclaimed.

Crump frowned. "You wouldn't think so, would you. Well, then I got nothin'."

Lector passed a hand over his forehead with a despondent sigh. "If we could figure this out, we might know how to help him," he said. "I am just at a complete loss. Crump . . . do we really know him that well?"

"You and I have known him for over twenty years," Crump said. "You'd sure think that in that time we'd be able to come to understand a lot about him!"

"I just keep feeling like we're missing something," Lector said. "Something isn't adding up. If we really knew him as well as we think we do, it seems like we'd be able to make sense out of this!"

"Well . . ." Crump blew out his breath as he pondered the problem. "We know he loves tech, he thinks machines are the ideal, he hates people and emotions, he's asexual and aromantic, he's a Gundam and Star Wars fanboy. . . ."

"Is that it?!" Lector exclaimed. "After over twenty years, that's all we know about the man?!"

Crump was still ticking things off. "He's a fifth Dan rank in kendo, so he's real good at that, he rides motorcycles, he's reckless and impulsive, he's prideful, he blunders into things. . . . You know, for someone who hates emotions, he sure uses them a lot at the wrong times."

Lector ran his hand down his face. "I cannot believe this," he said in dismay. "I could tell a lot of things about you, Gansley, and Johnson—not just facts about what you like or what you do, but real things about who you all are as people, glimpses you've shown me into your true selves. And I could tell good things about all of your feelings, not just the bad!"

Crump paused. ". . . I know he's embarrassed to like things if he thinks it's not something he should like," he said. "One time I walked in on him watching the mecha battle in a Magic Knight Rayearth episode. Oh boy, you should've seen him when he realized he'd been caught watching a magical girl anime! Deer in the headlights expression, grabbing for the remote, fumbling all over to pause the DVD and turn the TV off. . . ." He chuckled. "It was kinda endearing, actually. He's not as tough as he wants people to think."

Lector's eyes flickered. "I remember one time when we were in the middle of a terrible argument right at KaibaCorp. Someone from the promotions department came along and was furious that I had rejected their marketing campaign. They wouldn't listen when I tried to explain why and instead started spouting off a series of racist slurs at me. Before I could even respond to that, Nesbitt punched him in the face."

"Yeah?" Crump had to smile.

"I thought Nesbitt might gang up against me with that person, since he was having problems with me as well," Lector said regretfully. "Instead, he wouldn't have any part of it. I don't know that it was about me personally, though. He told me later that racism is another of humanity's weaknesses and another reason why machines are better. He probably just hates racism in general and not racism against me specifically."

"He's a funny guy," Crump said. "And yet you can't deny he does make some good points. But I think it probably was about you personally as well as in general."

"It's a nice thought, at least. Nesbitt never wants to bear his soul to us," Lector said. "But some of it comes through anyway."

Crump nodded thoughtfully. "You're right. And that's pretty special."

"We have to save him, Crump." Lector's voice cracked. "I don't know how we're going to, but we have to!"

"We're going to," Crump insisted. He squeezed Lector's shoulder. "We're not gonna go back until we save our buddy."

". . . Or unless we lose to him." Worry flickered in Lector's eyes. "What if he really gets one of us into an Orichalcos duel, Crump?! What then?!"

Crump set his jaw. "Then we just havta hope that we can get through to him like we must've tonight," he said.

"Only that's not a solution either if someone's soul will always be sacrificed," Lector said. "I can't watch that happen to Nesbitt if he decides to offer himself up to save us!"

"We could try to force the duel to end in a draw," Crump suggested. "Maybe then the thing couldn't take anybody's soul. But that's all I've got. I dunno what else there'd be to try."

"And it's very difficult to make a duel go the way you want it to," Lector said.

"Then we'll also just havta hope it doesn't happen," Crump said.

"I most certainly do," Lector sighed.

****

Johnson was very tense. Nesbitt most certainly hadn't been at the kendo school, and somehow he doubted that the wayward man would be found at his house either. Aside from that and checking the rest of their homes, he had no idea where to look.

"He could be anywhere," he said in discouragement to Gansley and Solomon.

"I know," Gansley frowned. "And he may be where he thinks he won't be found, if he really did run to protect us."

Johnson hesitated. "Gansley . . . do you think Nesbitt really cares about us?"

Gansley shot him a Look. "You don't?"

"I didn't say that," Johnson exclaimed. "Actually, I think he does. I mean, he wouldn't have to stay with us now that we're back in our bodies. He could go off and do something else if he wanted, maybe find some other company that would like his weapon designs. He always says he doesn't think any company would take him now, that he's probably blackballed all over the city, but I don't think that's the only reason why he's stayed. I think he honestly wants to be with us. I just wondered if you'd gotten the same impression."

"I have," Gansley said. "There's also how he came to us tonight wanting to share his power. Even corrupted by this evil force, he wanted us to be together."

"You're right," Johnson gasped. "And then when we objected, it's no wonder he got so angry. It probably felt even more like a betrayal when he wasn't in his right mind!"

Solomon looked thoughtful as he continued to drive. "I definitely think you're on to something," he mused. "To be honest, he sounds like a special person."

"He is," Johnson said softly.

"I suppose that's how all of us feel about each other," Gansley said. "Especially after what we went through in cyberspace. We were all we had. We could have broken down and started hating each other, but instead we stayed together in spite of our foolish arguments. At first it was because it was the most logical business decision we could make, but then it became something . . . more."

"You know a lot more about friendship than you may think you do," Solomon said. "Once we find Nesbitt, I'm sure you'll figure out what to do."

"But when will we find him?!" Johnson moaned.

"Hopefully soon," Solomon said.

****

Yami Bakura was always meticulous and thorough. He had looked up pictures of Nesbitt on Bakura's phone before leaving the house, so it wasn't surprising to him, then, to suddenly see the missing man standing on a street.

"There he is," he said to Bakura before starting over in the most casual of manners.

Bakura bit his lip and trailed after him. He definitely felt uneasy about this meeting.

Nesbitt looked over, his expression dark and unrelenting. "What do you want?" he barked.

Yami Bakura stopped in front of him. "You're the missing member of the Big Five, are you not? Your companions are looking for you."

"They all betrayed me," Nesbitt rumbled. "I gave them the chance to get in on this with me and they spurned me! I hate them all, but especially Lector." He clenched his fists. "He's always hated me too. He wanted to be rid of me!" The turquoise aura flowed over and around him repeatedly like a ring traveling over the top half of a bubble. The anger and hurt in the air was absolutely palpable.

"It's not up to me to decide whether he did or not," Yami Bakura said smoothly, "but it would seem he wants you back now."

"I'm not going back until I'm good and ready to take his soul," Nesbitt replied.

"What do you say to dueling me then, if you're not ready?" Yami Bakura said.

"I have no interest in you," Nesbitt retorted.

"I'm a strong Duelist," Yami Bakura told him. "I'm even a magical Duelist. Just think how you will prove your strength if you defeat me. Perhaps your friends will even awaken to the true realization of what the Orichalcos is and come back to you."

Bakura stiffened. "Don't do this!" he snapped at Yami Bakura. "It's cruel!"

Yami Bakura didn't answer. He wanted to gauge just how strong a hold the Orichalcos had over the man. And judging from how Nesbitt immediately perked up, even the Orichalcos couldn't completely mask Nesbitt's true feelings.

"Alright," he said. "I'll duel you. But I warn you, this won't be like any duel you've ever had before."

Yami Bakura just smirked. "I'm quite sure I can manage." He raised his arm with the Duel Disk and let it snap into place. "Let's get down to business."


	4. Chapter 4

Yami Bakura had to admit he was impressed by how methodically Nesbitt dueled. He was very cold and hard, seeming only to care about the duel and nothing else. Still, at the same time, there was something in his attitude that was chilling, even to the old thief.

"You're very shrewd," he commented after several precise moves. "I can see why the leader of this Orichalcos movement wanted you."

Nesbitt placed his next cards on the field. "He said out of all of my friends, I showed the most promise."

"And why do you think that was?" Yami Bakura asked. "What was he looking for?"

Now Nesbitt wavered. "I . . . don't know," he realized.

"You wanted to be strong," Yami Bakura said. "Perhaps that means he preys on the weak."

"I am strong!" Nesbitt boomed.

"Ah, but what were you before?" Yami Bakura mused. "Were you truly weak? Or was that only your perception of yourself? What if you were already strong but didn't recognize your true worth?"

"Then why didn't Dartz tell me I was strong?!" Nesbitt snapped. "Why would he let me wallow in my misery?!"

That was a surprise. "Dartz?" Yami Bakura's eyes flickered. "He's behind this madness?"

"He introduced me to the genius of the Orichalcos," Nesbitt said. "He's going to remake the world just as it should be."

"Oh? And how is that?" Yami Bakura watched the man carefully.

". . . He didn't say." Nesbitt frowned. From his expression, that realization was just coming to him now.

Bakura was more involved with watching Yami Bakura. "Have you met this Dartz before?" he asked. "You sounded like you knew him."

"That's hardly important right now!" Yami Bakura snapped. He looked back to Nesbitt. "If you don't even know how the world is going to be remade, how do you know it will be something you will like?"

Nesbitt faltered again. ". . . Dartz will let each person have their own personal remade world," he said at last.

Yami Bakura snorted. "Is that what he told you, or does the Orichalcos make you blindly believe that? There can only be one remade world, you fool, and that will be whatever Dartz sees fit to inflict upon it! Most likely it will be a world of nothingness, as there won't be enough people to properly populate it. He may even be the only one left by the time it happens. All of his servants may have fallen by then, including you."

"No!" Nesbitt snarled. "That isn't true!"

"Perhaps in your right mind you would be smart enough to see what I can see plainly," Yami Bakura said.

"I can see that you're in for it now." Nesbitt had just drawn his next card. Now he held it up.

"Oh my!" Bakura gasped. "What is that?! I've never seen that card before!"

Yami Bakura growled, but stood his ground. "Is that . . . ?"

"Yes! The Seal of Orichalcos!" Nesbitt slammed the card into the Field spell drawer and the treacherous turquoise circle began to spin down from the sky, locking the Duelists in place. At the same moment, the dark flames rose from the ground, enveloping Nesbitt in their merciless fire. He screamed, pushing on his Duel Disk with his free hand as though it was burning him. Then he slowly sneered, his eyes glittering with a red glow as the Seal formed on his forehead. Unlike before, now it remained permanently.

Yami Bakura snarled. "So now that the Seal is on the field, both of our souls have become the stakes?"

"That's right." Nesbitt's expression twisted in a cruel and heartless manner. "And now it will be my pleasure to make yours my first offering to Master Dartz."

"You said you weren't interested in me," Yami Bakura reminded him.

"Do you believe everything people say?" Nesbitt returned. "Of course I'm interested in you! Master Dartz wants strong souls to power the Great Leviathan! You should make an ideal contribution to the beast!"

Bakura took a step back. "He's changed," he gasped. "Actually playing the Seal of Orichalcos card makes the evil force's power over him increase even more!"

"That surprises you?" Yami Bakura grunted.

"Perhaps not, but now we're in far greater danger!" Bakura exclaimed. "Do you have any plans for getting us out of this?!"

"I'll have to try to force the duel to end in a draw," Yami Bakura said. "But if that fails, I will have no choice but to win and let the Seal take his soul."

Bakura clenched a fist. "His friends deserve to at least try to get through to him again!" he retorted.  
"I won't let him lose if I can at all help it!"

Yami Bakura looked to him with a jerk. "If you do anything to try to make me lose . . . !"

Bakura looked back with steely eyes. "I pray I won't have to."

"Are you going to draw or what?!" Nesbitt interrupted.

Yami Bakura glowered at him but drew his next card. "I suppose Dust Tornado or De-Spell won't work," he said. "Your Seal is far too powerful to be destroyed by ordinary anti-spell cards."

Nesbitt smirked. "You're right. You're welcome to try, but it would be a waste of a card."

"I suppose it would also be a waste to try to attempt further conversation," Yami Bakura remarked.  
"Now you're catching on," Nesbitt sneered. "All I care about right now is sending you on to the Great Beast's domain, where you will wait with the other captured souls for the time when all of you will be needed! Then I will have my revenge and prove my true strength to the ungrateful idiots who betrayed me!"

Yami Bakura looked down at his cards. "I have to end this fast," he muttered. But would he be able to? His current hand didn't look that promising and Nesbitt's field was only growing more powerful. It wouldn't take much for him to plow through Yami Bakura's weak defense and take out all of his lifepoints.

"I don't see any way for you to end this in a draw," Bakura said as he also studied the thief's hand.

"Just wait," Yami Bakura growled.

"It won't do to wait very long," Nesbitt said. "The way I see it, you'll only last one more turn at the most!"

Yami Bakura laid a card in Defense mode. "Then by all means, feel free to attack me," he said.

As it turned out, he not only managed to hold on longer than one turn, he finally succeeded in regaining control of the duel and turning it around. To Bakura's great relief, Yami Bakura at last played the card that would bring the duel to a close in all of their favors. The Seal vanished, sending the occupants flying backwards in various directions.

Nesbitt was promptly on his feet again. "This isn't over," he threatened. "You manipulated this duel to end in a draw, but you won't be so lucky next time!"

Yami Bakura was soon standing as well. "Just what do you plan to do?"

"I'll find you again," Nesbitt vowed. "After I take down my former friends, I'm coming after you!" He turned, fleeing into the remaining darkness of the night.

Bakura stared after him. "What are we going to do?! He's under the spell far worse than before!"

Yami Bakura turned away. "That's his friends' problem. I'm not going to deliberately seek him out anymore."

"Well, I suppose I should be glad of that, but we've caused him to get into a far more serious condition for them to find him in!" Bakura countered.

"His friends knew there were risks," Yami Bakura growled. "They wanted my help anyway." He headed off down the sidewalk. "I'm going to bed. Yugi can solve this problem, as I already determined for him to do. I would prefer not to get in this Dartz's way."

Sighing, Bakura trailed after him. "You do know him," he prompted.  
"I met him once or twice in Egypt," Yami Bakura finally admitted. "He was . . . interesting, but even then I could tell that he was a dangerous sort. We more or less agreed to stay out of each other's plans. He didn't meddle in Egypt, and I never intended to get involved now."

"Well, now we are involved," Bakura said. "I wish there was a way we could help get things back to the way they're supposed to be."

"It will be interesting to see whether Nesbitt's friends can do exactly that," Yami Bakura remarked.

****

Solomon pulled over to the side of the road to take Bakura's call when it came in. Gansley and Johnson waited tensely, listening to Solomon's side of the conversation and straining to hear Bakura's. From what they could hear, the news wasn't promising. When he hung up, the worry was clear in their eyes.

"Well?" Johnson demanded.

Solomon sighed as he restarted the truck and resumed driving. "Nesbitt is very deeply under the Orichalcos's spell, and he's only growing worse," he announced. "Playing the card increased the effect of the evil to the point that he was interested in sacrificing Bakura's soul, whereas he hadn't been interested before."

"Oh no!" Johnson moaned.

"But if he played the card, what happened in the duel?" Gansley frowned.

"Bakura managed to end it in a draw," Solomon said. "Nesbitt ran off, but threatened to get Bakura after he gets all of you."

Johnson slumped back in the seat. "No. . . . How are we going to save him?!"

"I must admit, I'm not sure," Solomon said. "Perhaps your friendship can still get through to him. I do think that if anything can, it's that."

Gansley massaged the bridge of his nose. "I have never before had to entertain the idea that friendship can actually move mountains," he grunted. "It sounds ludicrous. This isn't a 1980s cartoon! And yet . . . for us to never turn against each other, for us to want to stay together and to follow Lector into the light . . . that certainly counts for something momentous. You and I, Johnson, have been terrible people for most of our lives. But we're actually willing to listen to someone who has a different view and to try to be better human beings. Not just anyone could have that effect on us."

"I quite sustain your verdict, Gansley," Johnson said. "Obviously friendship can move at least some mountains. Still, it can't solve everything. So we're still left with one very disturbing question . . . can it move this mountain?"

Gansley gave a heavy sigh. "All we can do is try."

"It would help, I'm sure, if you could figure out why Nesbitt was driven to accept the Orichalcos," Solomon said. "But I know you've already been trying to do that."

"We have all racked our minds over and over with no success," Gansley sighed. "He believes himself to be weak, but we don't know what kicked that off. Perhaps he's thought it for some time and it finally came to a head."

"But something had to push him over the edge," Johnson said. "Crump wondered if it was how he broke in Noa's world and tried to leave on his own. Would that really bother him to that extent? We're all troubled by what we did there, but it's hard to believe that Nesbitt would have been affected worse than the rest of us."

"I really don't know anymore," Gansley said wearily. "Nesbitt has always been so closed-off from the rest of us. He wants to be with us, that much is clear, but he doesn't tend to reveal his innermost feelings. I've never pushed him, although Crump has tried to encourage him to talk to us."

"Crump does that with all of us," Johnson smiled a bit.

"He's an odd mother hen," Gansley smirked. "But perhaps it's fitting when he's the bird enthusiast."

Johnson might have delivered a cheeky remark in response, if not for a familiar sight out the window right then. "There's Nesbitt!" he cried.

Solomon threw on the brakes. "Where?!"

Johnson leaned forward, pointing at the windshield. "There, standing on that street corner by that cheap motel!" He leaped out of the truck and ran over to their wayward friend before anyone else could react.

Gansley swiftly recovered enough to chase him out the door. "Johnson, wait!" he called.

Solomon sighed as he watched them go. "Now, should I join them or not?" he said aloud. "I don't really know the man. I might only make things worse." He looked towards the light of the new day just dawning from the East. "I think the best thing is to stand back and pray that their friendship can indeed pierce through the darkness of the Orichalcos."

Nesbitt turned as Johnson ran over to him. In a moment, Gansley caught up as well. "So, the two of you decided to come crawling back to me?" Nesbitt grunted.

"Crawling back to you?!" Johnson stared at him. "What are you talking about?! We've been worried about you and looking all over for you!"

Gansley laid a hand on Johnson's shoulder. "Nesbitt, we know this isn't really you talking," he said. "The Orichalcos has twisted your mind and your heart. But will you tell us why you've done this to yourself? What made you believe you were so weak that you had to turn to dark magic for the answer?"

Nesbitt looked away. "I know you know. How could you not know?" He started to clench his fist at his side. "I wondered why you kept me around even knowing how worthless I am. But then you spurned me when I finally did something about it!"

"Worthless?!" Gansley's eyebrows knitted. Nesbitt's emotional problems were growing ever more concerning. He had always acted so arrogant. How could he feel worthless deep down? And how had Gansley missed it? He was the leader; he should be able to understand the others intimately.

"We didn't spurn you, Nesbitt!" Johnson exclaimed. "We would never do that! But we saw that you had done something dangerous to yourself! We couldn't accept your offer of power and do the same to ourselves!"

"So you were all cowards?!" Nesbitt snapped. "I can't believe that! You're just making up excuses, trying to get me to take you back! Well, I won't! You had your chances and you showed how little you thought of them!" The turquoise ripples were passing over his body again.

Johnson took a step back, not wanting to be blasted again. "Nesbitt, please . . . !" His normally smooth demeanor had faltered. "I can't stand to see you like this!"

"You won't have to once I take your soul for the Great Leviathan!" Nesbitt countered.

Gansley clenched his teeth. This was impossible! They were just going around in circles. Nesbitt wasn't in any shape to listen to them. If he challenged one of them to a duel, they would be forced to go through with it. But ending things in a draw apparently wasn't the answer to saving him. What could they do?

". . . Did you accept this force knowing you would have to steal souls?" he asked at last. It was a question they perhaps should have asked at first, but they had all been so shocked and horrified and stunned that they hadn't really stopped to think about it beyond assuming the Orichalcos had forced that desire on him. It was chilling to think of Nesbitt accepting knowing what he had to do, but on the other hand, it was heartbreaking to think that he might have accepted not knowing.

"What does it matter?" Nesbitt retorted. "I don't care about people. I could have felt like I'd pay any price for strength and power."

"You could have," Gansley agreed. "Perhaps you did. But perhaps you didn't. You could have been used and manipulated to the point that you had no idea what would be wanted of you."

"It doesn't matter," Nesbitt growled.

"It matters to us," Gansley insisted.

"We want to know just how badly you've fallen," Johnson added.

"So you can spurn me some more? No thanks!" Nesbitt snapped. "I'll only say that I still want to take your souls now. I really wanted to challenge Lector first, but that doesn't mean I really will."

"Why do you want to challenge him first?!" Johnson demanded. "You've never really hated him!"

"Oh, suddenly you know me so well?" Nesbitt mocked. "And yet you can't even figure out why any of this is happening?"

"Nesbitt, you're a good person," Johnson tried again. "Don't do this!"

Now the turquoise wave shot forth once more. Gansley only barely managed to tackle Johnson out of the way in time.

"I'm not a good person!" Nesbitt screamed. "Don't patronize me! You know what I am! You have to know!"

Johnson rolled over on his back on the grass, staring up in Nesbitt in horrified disbelief through newly askew glasses. "Nesbitt," he whispered. "What happened? What's wrong with you?"

Gansley was staring as well, but from his expression, he understood a little better what was happening, albeit not why. "His self-hatred is tremendous," he realized. "That must be what the Orichalcos is feeding on. Don't forget that he also called himself worthless earlier." He sat up. "But why, Nesbitt?" he said louder. "Why do you hate yourself so much? Is it because of what happened in Noa's world?"

"You should know better than anyone that I'm worthless, that I'm the lowest scum of the earth," Nesbitt snarled. "All of you!"

"But we all made mistakes back then!" Johnson exclaimed. He pushed up his glasses. "Nesbitt, you can't really believe you're so much worse than the rest of us!"

"Can't I?" Nesbitt spat. "None of the rest of you did what I did!"

Gansley got to his feet. "So this is about your moment of weakness," he frowned. "You've been emotionally tearing yourself to pieces because you tried to get out alone."

"I was weak!" Nesbitt snarled. "But even then you didn't abandon me! Yet when I made myself strong with the Orichalcos, you chose that moment to turn on me!"

"Nesbitt, we didn't," Johnson pleaded. "We would never turn against you!" He stumbled to his feet. "We want you to come back to us—the real you, not this twisted version of you generated by the Orichalcos!"

"I will never go back to how I was before!" Nesbitt retorted. "I couldn't anyway; I sold the old Nesbitt's soul for strength!"

"I won't believe that!" came another voice.

Everyone jumped and turned. The limousine had pulled up, somehow without any of them really noticing. Lector and Crump had got out, and it was Lector who had spoken. Now he was approaching Nesbitt in determination.

"Nesbitt, I am so sorry for what I said earlier," Lector said. "I was angry and hurting, but I should have controlled myself better. It's so obvious to me now that you are also hurting, desperately. You never would have done this otherwise!"

"Too little, too late," Nesbitt snapped. "Like always."

"Nesbitt, whatever your reason for doing this, I fully believe that you are still in there, fighting to get out," Lector persisted. "If your soul was gone, you couldn't be as aware and alert as you are right now. I'm going to find you and set you free!"

Surprise flickered in Nesbitt's eyes before he suddenly sneered. "Well, well, so you've really come to me, eh? I'll make sure you don't get away." He held up his Duel Disk. "Duel me now, Lector. And if I feel like it afterwards, maybe I'll take down the other fools as well."

"What the heck?!" Crump yelped. "Lector can't duel you! None of us can! Not when you have those freaky stakes for doing it!"

"Although that's only if I draw the Seal of Orichalcos," Nesbitt pointed out. "Well, Lector? Are you going to go through with this?"

Lector drew a deep breath. "I didn't want to, but I don't see any way around it," he said. "Yes, Nesbitt, I'll duel you. And I'll find a way to save you before it's over." He went back to the limousine to collect his Duel Disk. His three uncorrupted friends chased after him.

"Lector!" Johnson exclaimed. "What if Nesbitt does play the Seal of Orichalcos?! It's too risky!"

"I know the odds likely aren't in my favor," Lector said. "But talking to Nesbitt hasn't worked, so maybe dueling is the only way to get through to him. I have to try."

Gansley had to smile, despite the worry flickering in his eyes. "Then try, Lector. Do whatever you think might return Nesbitt to us."

Lector nodded. "I will." He placed his deck in the card holder.

"And take care of yourself at the same time," Crump said. "We can't lose you too!"

"I'll be careful," Lector said.

"And you should also be aware that Nesbitt is gradually revealing more and more what's been going on in his mind and in his heart," Gansley continued. "He is clearly suffering with an extreme and poisonous self-hatred. Perhaps also depression."

Both Lector and Crump stiffened. "What?!" they chorused.

Johnson nodded. "He's been calling himself worthless and saying he's not a good person," he said in dismay.

"Then . . . he doesn't hate me," Lector whispered. "He hates himself. . . ."

"I don't know how I didn't see it," Gansley said. The heaviness in his heart manifested in his voice.

Crump frowned. "Well, we all saw something was wrong," he said. "We just couldn't figure out what it was. Nesbitt's really a good actor, you know? He tried so hard to put on a show for us and pretend everything was okay. But now . . ." He looked to where Nesbitt was impatiently waiting and going through his deck one last time. "Buddy . . ."

Solomon got out of his truck and came over to them. "Nesbitt truly does need help," he said in concern. "And I'm certain that you are the only ones who can give it to him."

"But if he's having all these problems, he probably needs a licensed therapist or something!" Crump exclaimed.

"Perhaps," Solomon said. "But friendship and love can do amazing things. I've seen it over and over with Yugi and his friends. I still think all of you hold the key to saving this poor man."

"You know, I wonder if Nesbitt really knew what he was getting into," Crump said. "What if this Dartz creep only told him the Orichalcos would give him power or make him strong or whatever, so he agreed to try it on that basis? Maybe he didn't know anything about stealing souls until it was too late. After the thing corrupted him, he probably wouldn't be aware enough to care."

"That makes sense to me," Lector said. He looked down at his deck. "Our poor, foolish friend. . . . To get into a mess like this, his pain must be incomprehensible."

"Are you coming or what?" Nesbitt suddenly snapped.

The others jumped.

"Yes, Nesbitt," Lector said. "I'm coming."

He took a deep breath and walked forward to meet his fate.


	5. Chapter 5

It was heart-wrenching for Lector as he stood on the grass near the motel, watching Nesbitt unfurl his Chaos Duel Disk and look at him with a cold expression of what seemed to be utter hatred. They had known each other for so long, so many years, but now Lector had to wonder how well he had truly known Nesbitt at all. For him to have been carrying around this heavy a burden, Lector was sickened that he hadn't known or suspected in the least.

"Nesbitt," he tried to say, "how long have you felt like this?"

"How long?" Nesbitt scoffed. "I've always hated myself. No one ever liked me, even when I didn't do anything to them. The other kids at school who always tried to knock my building blocks down or use them themselves, my kindergarten teacher who said she couldn't blame them for treating me poorly because I was different. . . . My parents were always worried about me because I wasn't sociable, and when I reached puberty and never developed sexual feelings at all, it was too much for them to take."

His friends stared at him in sickened shock.

"But you always acted like you were happy with yourself!" Crump exclaimed.

"I always knew I was good with building things," Nesbitt said. "I was proud of that. But for everyone to hate me, I figured there had to be something seriously wrong with me. When I started realizing I had a bad temper, I knew that must be part of it. And I rarely interacted with people, so when I did it was always hard for me to know what the right things were to say or do. I usually messed it up. I started seeing the fallacies of human nature, including my own, and I realized how much better machines were. They didn't have any of the problems I or other humans did. They were just there, coldly efficient. I wanted to be that." He slammed a card down on the field.

Lector placed two cards facedown and a monster in Defense mode. "Nesbitt, humans were never meant to be machines," he exclaimed.

"That doesn't mean I didn't think they should be! Especially me!" Nesbitt's eyes flashed. "I was the worst one of all. Don't you see? I always tried so hard to control myself, to lock my feelings away, but I couldn't! The more I tried, the more mistakes I made! I hurt people! I always hurt people! Even if I manage to control myself for a while, eventually all that pent-up anger and recklessness breaks free, and it's always at the worst possible times!" He trembled and looked away. "I don't see how anyone could ever love me."

Lector's heart broke. The Orichalcos had pushed Nesbitt to steal souls, which wasn't him at all, but Lector was very afraid that these revelations and feelings were indeed the real Nesbitt. The pain in the man's voice and face were all too real.

"That's not true!" he cried.

"Nesbitt, that's crazy talk!" Crump exclaimed. "Why do you think we wanted you to stick around?! Why do you think we've been trying so hard to find you?!"

"We all love you, so very much." Gansley stepped forward, gripping his cane. "We all see the good in you, and that's more important to us than your faults."

"How?!" Nesbitt screamed. "How can it be?!" He whipped back to look at them. "I hurt all of you more than anyone else! You're the only people who ever cared about me and I betrayed you!"

Lector was largely at a loss for words. None of this was at all what he had expected to hear, and although he couldn't deny he had still been angry and hurt over the betrayal, seeing Nesbitt's anguish on the matter was draining those feelings away. How could he stay angry when Nesbitt couldn't forgive himself?

Suddenly Nesbitt's eyes hardened. "But then you did betray me too," he said darkly, "and that's what we're here to answer for today." He slammed a monster onto the field. "Robotic Knight, take out Lector's facedown monster!"

Lector struggled to get himself under control. "You attacked Cyber Jar," he announced. "Our monsters are destroyed and we each draw five new cards. Any Level 4 and under monsters get summoned to the field."

"I know how the card works," Nesbitt snapped.

As they summoned their new monsters, Lector was desperate to think of what he could say. He had been completely unprepared for any of what was transpiring. He couldn't let himself say the wrong thing again, as he had last night, but what on Earth was the right thing? What would possibly get through to a man drowning in so much self-hatred and pain and dark magic all at once?

"Nesbitt," he said at last, "you contradict yourself. You hate yourself so much and feel that you're so horrible, but you're lashing out at us for this supposed betrayal?"

"You did betray me!" Nesbitt snarled. "And even if I deserved it in the past, I didn't deserve it now, when I've actively tried to improve myself permanently! So you'll all suffer!"

"Only you couldn't have really improved yourself, to feel like that," Johnson said. "The Orichalcos has completely warped you! Can't you see that?!"

Lector frowned. That certainly seemed like the most logical answer, and that was no doubt part of it, but were they still missing a piece? What else could be going on in Nesbitt's mind?

"And don't you realize you're putting yourself in danger too?!" Crump exclaimed. "If you draw that Orichalcos card and play it, there's no guarantee you're gonna come out on top!"

Suddenly, horribly, it clicked.

"No," Lector whispered. He looked to Nesbitt with a jerk. "You want to be defeated, don't you?! You want us to cause your soul to be sealed away!"

"That's all I deserve now, for what I've done in accepting this force," Nesbitt spat. The Orichalcos symbol burned on his forehead and he grimaced, reaching up to it. His expression twisted. "Only I'll see to it that it's the fate you suffer instead!"

Lector stared at him. "It's the Orichalcos making you say and do anything to hurt us," he realized. "But the real you is still there, just like I said! And the real you can't bear what you're doing! You want to be stopped any way possible, even if that means locking your soul away!"

"Whaaat?!" Crump burst out.

Gansley and Johnson stared, sickened.

"I should have realized that, too," Johnson said in chagrin.

"How could any of us have realized it?" Gansley countered. ". . . But yes, we should have."

"Nesbitt, don't you see that that isn't a real solution?!" Lector cried. "We love you too much for that! We could never stand to do that to you! I could never stand to do that to you!"

"Why?!" Nesbitt bellowed, his voice twisted and tortured.

"If you're so far gone that you can't see any value in yourself at all, I don't know how to convince you of it," Lector sadly said. "Sometimes it's hard to explain why we love someone, but that doesn't change that we do."

Again the Orichalcos symbol burned. Nesbitt straightened, sneering at Lector. "Well, that's just too bad. Because now I really have drawn the Seal of Orichalcos, and I think it's time I showed you what it can do."

"Nesbitt, don't do it!" Crump yelped.

"You're still fighting against the Orichalcos. Don't take this risk!" Gansley cried.

"The real you couldn't want to!" Johnson added. "You'll be putting Lector in danger, even if you plan on losing!"

"The ‘real' Nesbitt is right here," Nesbitt leered. "And I don't care what happens to any of you, especially Lector." He placed the card in the Field spell drawer.

Everyone stared in horror as the turquoise circle spun down from the sky and trapped Nesbitt and Lector inside. Crump ran over, banging on the barrier. "Nesbitt! Cut it out! You're really playing for keeps here! And there's a 100% chance you're gonna regret it!"

Lector drew a shaking breath. "It's no use, Crump. He's gone again. I'll just have to keep playing this duel out and try to bring him back to the surface. Now we know he's definitely there."

"Yeah, and he's definitely messed-up in the head!" Crump exclaimed. "Even without the Orichalcos!" He turned away, his shoulders slumping. "Why didn't he let us help him? . . ."

"He didn't think we could," Gansley said quietly. "And perhaps he didn't think he deserved to ask. A person in Nesbitt's state of mind isn't thinking clearly. They can't. They can only see themselves through warped and biased lenses. Perhaps the Orichalcos made his feelings even worse, but he has clearly been struggling with this burden for years. He is completely the opposite of how he's usually presented himself."

Solomon was tensely watching the duel. "It looks like the Orichalcos symbol doesn't fade at all now that he's played that evil card," he said. "It's infused with him regardless, but now it's probably going to be much more difficult to get the real him to come out again."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Crump moaned.

"Then I accept that challenge," Lector said. "I set out to bring our friend back, and that is exactly what I'm going to do, no matter how difficult it is!" He drew his next card. "Mr. Bakura managed to end their duel in a draw. Somehow I'll have to do the same thing."

"But will that truly break the Orichalcos's control over him?" Johnson worried. "It didn't before."

"Yes, but Nesbitt has no strong ties to Mr. Bakura," Lector said. "Maybe with me as his opponent, it'll work."

The duel was grueling. The Orichalcos had definitely clamped down even harder on Nesbitt, and as he and Lector traded moves, he was proving more and more belligerent to deal with. No matter what Lector or the others said, Nesbitt wasn't interested in listening and had a snide comment to make. And with the Orichalcos in play, Nesbitt's monsters were almost unstoppable. Lector was clearly wearing down.

"Why do you keep on with this anyway?" Nesbitt finally snorted. "You say all this nonsense about loving me, but you always hated me!"

"Why does everyone think I hate you?!" Lector burst out at last. "Of course we've had problems, but what was ever said or done that would give that extreme an impression?!"

"What was ever said or done to show me otherwise?" Nesbitt countered.

Lector faltered. When he tried to think of anything, he had to admit there probably wasn't much. At best, it likely looked like Lector tolerated Nesbitt and nothing more. They had shared civil conversations, but Lector had kept himself at arm's length, just as Nesbitt had. And Lector had been genuinely angry and hurt about the mess in Noa's world. . . .

The realization that he couldn't answer Nesbitt's question was the final blow. Suddenly it felt like the weight of the world had literally sank onto his shoulders. He couldn't imagine the mythological Atlas's burden was any lighter. His strength and his will failed him and he stumbled to one knee. "Oh Nesbitt," he whispered.

"Lector?!" Crump exclaimed. "Come on, you've gotta get up! It'll look like a forfeit and the Seal'll take you!"

Lector shook his head. "I . . . I can't anymore," he rasped. He stared at his cards. "There's nothing in my hand that can beat Nesbitt's supercharged monsters . . . and there's nothing I can say or do that will save him. He's right—I can't prove I don't hate him."

"What do you think you're doing right now?" Gansley pointed out. "You're risking your very soul for him!"

Johnson nodded. "You agreed to this duel. Nesbitt didn't strongarm you into it."

Lector looked at them in utter despair. "But I . . . it's not making a difference. I've failed to save him!"

But he was wrong. Somehow it was seeing Lector sink to his knees in utter, complete defeat and despair that snapped through the thick fog in Nesbitt's mind, and snapped through it more completely than any of the other times Nesbitt had fought his way to the surface.

"L-Lector?!" he gasped. "What am I doing?! Why . . . ?!"

Lector looked up with a jerk. "Nesbitt?!" He could only stare in disbelief at the tortured soul in front of him. Nesbitt had been completely immovable and cold. Now the Orichalcos symbol was flickering on his forehead even though the Seal was on the field, and Nesbitt looked emotional to a level Lector had never seen from him before.

Crump gasped too. "Are you with us, Buddy?!"

"What am I doing?!" Nesbitt screamed in utter anguish.

Lector stumbled back to his feet. "Nesbitt, you . . ." He swallowed hard. "You're trying to take my soul."

The absolute devastation that filled Nesbitt's visage would haunt Lector for eternity. "He lied to me!" Nesbitt yelled. "He lied! He didn't tell me the Orichalcos would cause me to do things like this! I . . ."

Lector's heart increased in speed. Was it possible? After all the failures, was there still a chance to save Nesbitt now? And had it really been as simple as it seemed? How could Lector giving up make all the difference? Nesbitt hadn't cared what he did. . . .

"Nesbitt," he said slowly, "you said you took the Orichalcos to be strong, that you gave up your weak side. . . ."

"That's not the whole truth!" Nesbitt sounded almost strangled. "I took it because Dartz told me it would make me be a better friend! Instead, it's made me into the worst friend possible!" He sobbed, crashing to his knees as he dug his fingers into his hair. Around them, the Seal was violently rippling in green strokes from Nesbitt's emotions. The tension was absolutely palpable.

Lector was thunderstruck. He had never once thought that Nesbitt's reason would have anything to do with them or how he had treated them in Noa's world. Nesbitt had always been such a loner, so misanthropic and disgusted towards people. For a long time, Lector hadn't thought Nesbitt really cared for any of them. He certainly hadn't thought it after Nesbitt's betrayal in Noa's world. But to see the tortured man kneeling in front of him now, sobbing in utter and complete agony over what he had been doing to the others, Lector finally realized the real truth.

Nesbitt loved them. And perhaps, instead of being the most far removed and distanced, he was actually the most sensitive of them all.

Gansley, Crump, and Johnson were badly shaken as well. They could only stare, their minds blank.

"No," Johnson whispered.

"That was the missing piece," Gansley said, his heart heavy. "He didn't want to be strong for himself; he wanted to be strong for us. Oh Nesbitt . . ."

Crump was at a rare loss of words. He just shook his head and stepped back. "I didn't see it," he choked out. "None of us saw it. . . . He was hurting so bad and none of us could figure out why. Why couldn't we see it?!"

"None of us realized Nesbitt loved us that much," Lector said softly. "We all underestimated him."

The warm rush of the Seal passing through him startled him fully back to the situation. Now Nesbitt's will was broken. The Seal had taken that to mean that Nesbitt had forfeited the duel and it was going to take his soul. It was shrinking past Lector to trap Nesbitt inside.

"No!" Lector screamed. He couldn't allow it! He couldn't! He ran forward, desperate to reach out to Nesbitt in spite of the Seal blocking his way.

Nesbitt shook his head. "Just let me go," he choked out. "I'm worthless. Just look what I've done!"

"I will not let you go!" Lector pressed himself against the Seal's wall. "We've all been fighting to save you, Nesbitt, even when we didn't fully understand. Do you really think I'm going to let you go now that I finally know the truth?!"

"None of us are gonna let you go!" Crump cried. He also ran over, with Gansley and Johnson right on his heels.

Nesbitt looked up at them in disbelief. "I betrayed you!" he screamed. "Not once, but twice!"

"And you were only trying to make up for that first betrayal!" Lector countered. "You said it yourself—Dartz lied to you! He tricked you into believing the Orichalcos is something it isn't! You thought it was a good thing and you accepted it on that principle! Then it corrupted you instantly and it was too late to go back! You aren't to blame for what happened! The stranger I was dueling wasn't you! That was the Orichalcos talking through you! This . . . this is the real you! And I . . ." He drew a shaking breath. "I am a fool for not seeing it before. Please forgive me, my dear, dear friend."

Nesbitt's expression was only filled with further disbelief. "Lector . . ."

"You are a good person, Nesbitt!" Lector insisted. "You're not worthless in the least! You are a rare treasure." By now the Seal had shrunk completely around Nesbitt. It would take him away in only seconds. But Lector wasn't giving up. There had to be a way to break its power! There had to be!

"I don't know anyone else who would go to such extreme lengths to try to be a better person and a good friend," he continued. "You didn't need to do all this, but you thought you did! All you truly wanted was to spare us more hurt and pain. What could be more selfless than that? And even though the Orichalcos poisoned and corrupted you, you still broke completely through it! Nesbitt . . ." He put out his hand. "Come with me."

"I can't!" Nesbitt retorted. "You know I can't! The Seal has me!"

"It doesn't have you yet!" Lector thrust his hand farther, desperately pushing against the Seal's barrier. "Come with me!"

Nesbitt stared at him and then at his hand. After everything, Lector was forgiving and even felt that Nesbitt was good? How could he?

He shut his eyes tightly. Lector had fought so hard for him. If he just gave up and let the Seal take him, that would hurt Lector more. And the others too, no doubt. . . . He had to fight.

Choking on a sob, he reached out and tried to grasp Lector's hand.

The Seal rippled around them. Nesbitt's eyes snapped open. His hand had somehow passed through it, as had Lector's. Their fingers interlocked and Lector pulled, hauling Nesbitt out of the Seal's grasp. The Seal flickered, faded, and disappeared entirely.

"Nesbitt . . ." Lector stared at him. "You're here, aren't you? You made it. . . ."

Nesbitt trembled. "I . . ." He stared at Lector. "You saved me," he whispered.

Lector smiled, drawing Nesbitt into a firm embrace. "You saved me too," he said. "If you hadn't broke through the Orichalcos's control, it would have taken me when I gave up."

Nesbitt shut his eyes tightly again and sobbed. "I'm sorry. . . . How can there be any forgiveness for what I've done?"

"There is," Lector insisted. His voice caught in his throat. "I couldn't have a better friend than you, Nesbitt."

"None of us could," Crump said.

Nesbitt couldn't reply. He trembled as his body racked with sobs. At last he threw his arms around Lector and clutched him close.

Gansley, Crump, and Johnson gathered around as well, joining the hug. They once would have felt extremely awkward to embrace each other, but now it just felt right.

"Everything is going to be alright now, Nesbitt," Gansley promised. "We're going to help you every step of the way until you're better."

Nesbitt looked over at him in surprise, blinking tears out of his eyes. "I'm not sick. . . ."

That brought a heavier and sadder sigh. "Yes, Nesbitt, you are," Gansley said. "As long as you despise yourself so extremely, you're not well. But now that we know what ails you, we can do everything in our power to help heal you."

They all hugged him close.

Nesbitt finally started to relax in the shared embrace. "I feel so warm . . . so loved," he whispered.

The utter awe in his voice broke Lector's heart. "Nesbitt . . . haven't you ever felt loved before?"

"Not like this," Nesbitt said. "Not unconditionally. Well . . . the only time I ever did was when I was a kid visiting New Orleans and I met this older kid. . . . Now I know . . . that's why you kept me around. You love me. . . ."

Lector wept. "Yes, Nesbitt," he said. "We all love you, so very much. And we are never letting you go again!"

Solomon, who had stayed back to let them have their moment, swelled with joy. "Now I know there's hope," he said. "Light and love can break the darkness of the Orichalcos. Yugi is going to triumph! I know it!"

Unseen by all of them, Dartz's expression twisted in frustration as he stood in the shadows. "I see now what my mistake was," he growled to himself. "Mr. Nesbitt accepted the Orichalcos for selfless reasons while his loved ones were still alive to influence him differently. With all of my other victims, only one or neither of those elements was present."

Nesbitt suddenly stiffened. "He's here," he snarled.

"Who's here?" Gansley frowned.

Nesbitt pulled away from them and stormed over to the darkened alley. "The one who did this to me!"

Dartz could have taken the opportunity to vanish. But, still hoping to reclaim his victim, he instead stepped forward. "Ah, Mr. Nesbitt. So I see you and your friends have performed the impossible and broken through the Orichalcos's sacred seal."

"I let you manipulate me when I was at my lowest point," Nesbitt snapped. "You turned me into a monster when all I wanted was to treat my friends better!"

Lector was swiftly at Nesbitt's side, his eyes flashing with rage. "Just where do you get off doing such a wicked thing?!" he demanded. "Now you have all of us to deal with!"

Dartz stood his ground. "The world is going to be remade one way or the other. I gave Mr. Nesbitt the chance to get in on that momentous occasion."

"You needed someone to help you gather souls, so you tricked me into accepting without telling me what I'd have to do," Nesbitt said.

"Yes, and if I kill your loved ones, you will give into your rage and the Orichalcos can at least claim your soul," Dartz said. "Then you will still serve some purpose."

Immediately the entire Big Five plus Solomon grabbed Dartz. "Try it and you'll be dead," Johnson said.

"And just what do you think you can really do?" Dartz said calmly. "I have magic and none of the rest of you do. There's no way you could really kill me. And you certainly can't have me arrested. Corrupting people by magical stones is not a legitimate legal case against me."

"Yeah, but it should be," Crump snarled. "Maybe we could get you on manipulating someone with emotional health problems or something." He looked hopefully to Johnson.

"Unfortunately, it would be impossible to get into that without touching on the magical properties of the case," Johnson frowned. "But rest assured, you have made enemies out of all of us now. That isn't something to take lightly."

"And you have also made an enemy out of me," Solomon declared. "These men are my friends. I won't stand for them being so ill-treated!"

Suddenly Dartz's pendant began to glow on and off. He looked down at it with a frown. "As much as I would like to more fully demonstrate my power, Gentlemen, my attention is needed elsewhere."

"So you're just running away?" Crump snorted, unimpressed.

"You're through," Nesbitt insisted. "You'll never get anywhere with any of us again!"

Dartz gave him a cold look. "I certainly won't make the same mistake with you another time," he said. "The reason why the Orichalcos failed to hold you was a combination of your selfless reason for joining and your friends still being alive to get through to you. My most powerful servants have no such luck with living loved ones to bring them back from their missions."

"Then I'm sorry for them," Nesbitt said.

Dartz abruptly vanished from their grasp with a cruel laugh. Everyone jumped.

"Well, that was freaky," Crump exclaimed.

"What would you expect from a magical madman?" Gansley grunted.

Solomon drew a shuddering breath. "I am very happy that you are back to yourself, Mr. Nesbitt," he said, "but now I'm very worried about Yugi and his friends. To think that they're up against this type of lunatic is utterly frightening."

"It most certainly is," Lector said.

"You'd better try calling them again," Gansley said in concern. "You can use my cellphone if you don't have one of your own."

"Why, thank you," Solomon said. "I'm afraid I don't have one yet." He accepted Gansley's as it was offered and swiftly dialed.

Crump looked to Nesbitt. "How are you feeling, Buddy?"

"I . . ." Nesbitt shook his head. "I'm not sure. It's such a strange new feeling, to know I'm really loved in spite of my faults. . . . And to know that for once, people actually know the real me. . . . But . . . I like it. I feel . . . free."

Lector smiled. "I feel free as well, to finally understand you as I never have before. I only wish I had realized before."

"As we all do," Gansley said. "But everything will be different now that we do know."

Johnson nodded. "We're all beside you, Nesbitt, and we always will be."

"I know that now," Nesbitt said. "I wish I'd understood it before, but I'm glad I finally do."

Solomon hung up Gansley's phone with a sigh, bringing all of their attention up. "I can't reach any of them now," he fretted. "Who knows what that lunatic has done to them!"

The Big Five exchanged concerned looks. Together they stepped forward, surrounding their new friend.

"We'll find out," Nesbitt said. "I'll use all of my technology to try to track them down and find out how they're doing."

"And we'll stay with you until we know," Lector vowed.

Solomon regarded them in amazement. "But you must have so many things to talk out among yourselves," he protested. "You should have this time to reconnect and grow stronger."

"We'll have time to talk," Nesbitt said.

"And I believe we will grow stronger by helping you," Gansley said. "We learned in cyberspace not to abandon each other. That's how we fully grew into friends. We won't abandon you either."

Johnson nodded. "It's our turn to reach out, as you did for us."

Crump gave a firm nod. "Exactly!"

Solomon finally smiled. "Thank you, all of you. I must admit, I would greatly appreciate companionship and help right now."

"And you'll get it," Lector said.

They walked back to their vehicles, united as friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My friend MoonlightTyger and I both feel that canon shows light and love can break the Orichalcos's power. That is how Raphael escaped the Seal during his second duel with Atem, how Atem freed all the trapped souls from the Leviathan, and likely how Yugi broke through the Seal even though the Millennium Puzzle hadn't worked to that end before. And that is just perfect for my writing style, hee.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would have liked to have made this story longer, but because of Nesbitt's different circumstances regarding the Orichalcos, and my usual dislike of writing out duels, it just didn't seem like it was going to happen. I would like to say that self-hatred is a very crippling and very real affliction. I base Nesbitt a lot on myself and I have had many of the same struggles and feelings. I hope that if anyone reading this story also struggles, they have an outlet to help, whether that's a therapist or a trusted family member or friend

The next hours and days were agonizing. No one could get in touch with Yugi's group, and it was soon learned that Dartz had bought out KaibaCorp. That only increased Solomon's worry. But at last, after what seemed an endless night and next morning, Yugi finally called Solomon and let him know Dartz had been defeated. All the captured souls were free, and they would soon be able to come home. There was much rejoicing in Domino City that day.

"Thank you, for keeping me company through all of this," Solomon said sincerely to the Big Five. "My daughter doesn't know much about Yugi's adventures, and it was nice to be able to share this worry with those who do know what's been going on."

Lector bowed. "Of course. And we all want to thank you for helping us through our trial by fire."

"Oh pshaw. You did most of the work on that yourselves," Solomon smiled.

"But you encouraged us," Johnson said.

Nesbitt looked awkward, but completely sincere. "I'm grateful to all of you, including you, Mr. Muto."

"You're a good man," Solomon said. "I hope your friends are starting to convince you of that."

"It will take a long time to get past years of being made to feel I'm not good," Nesbitt said. "But yes, they are definitely helping me. I couldn't have come back from the brink without them."

"But you also couldn't have come back if you weren't willing to listen to us," Gansley said.

Crump nodded. "So there's that too."

Johnson suddenly sighed. "I wonder how Yugi and the others will deal with us being around," he worried. "I'm sure some of them won't feel very forgiving."

"Quite rightly," Lector said with a sigh of his own.

"Now, I'll put in a good word for all of you and that should help," Solomon said. "Maybe some of them will take a little longer to trust you, but I'm sure things will all get straightened out."

"I hope so," Johnson said. "We're all trying to make amends for the past. I would hate to think we've permanently scarred any of those kids."

"They're all very resilient," Solomon said. "And very willing to extend second chances to those who deserve them." He smiled kindly. "All of you men do."

"Thank you," Lector said with a bow. "We are working hard to continue to deserve them."

"I know you will succeed," Solomon said. "And I believe your love for each other will show you the way."

"That sounds great to me," Crump said.

The others murmured their assent.

****

Later on that evening, Lector found Nesbitt sitting at the kitchen table and staring off into the distance. Concerned, Lector sat down near him. "How are you, Nesbitt?" he asked. "The honest truth, now."

Nesbitt looked over at him. "I'm . . . alright," he said. "I'm happy. I still hate what I've done, but . . . for the first time, I feel like I can get past it."

"I'm glad," Lector smiled.

Nesbitt looked thoughtful. "Maybe all I really needed was to know I'm worth loving . . . even if I don't understand that yet."

"I pray we'll be able to help you understand it," Lector said.

"How do you not hate me, though?" Nesbitt demanded. "After everything I put you through . . . and all the terrible things I said . . . !"

"How could I ever hate you when it was the Orichalcos making you act that way, and when you only accepted it because of thinking you could be a better friend to us?" Lector replied. "Would you hate me if I had done what you did?"

Nesbitt looked away. ". . . No. . . . But . . . you're you, and I'm . . . just me."

"That's the self-hatred talking," Lector said. "You're a wonderful person, Nesbitt. You are every bit as deserving of kindness and consideration as I would be in the same situation!"

". . . Maybe if you tell me that enough times, I'll finally start to believe it," Nesbitt said.

"I hope so," Lector said.

"I wasn't just talking about what the Orichalcos made me do, though," Nesbitt said. "I was talking about . . . everything. I did plenty of terrible things on my own; that was why I accepted the Orichalcos in the first place."

Lector sighed. "No one is perfect, Nesbitt. Honestly, I struggle with my temper too. Whenever I think an injustice has been committed, I get completely bent out of shape. That's why I was unkind to you when you first showed up corrupted by the Orichalcos."

"You were justified," Nesbitt objected. "Any time you're upset, you're probably always justified."

"And you're not?" Lector frowned. "Nesbitt, you had every right to be furious with Mr. Kaiba for the way he treated us. We all went too far in how we tried to get back at him, but just being angry about it is not wrong. He lied to us and used us for his own goals and dumped us after all we did to help him achieve them!" He clenched a fist at his side. It would take him a while to not be angry about that.

"What about all the times I was angry at you?" Nesbitt countered. "You rarely, if ever, deserved it."

"I have most certainly been angry with you without justification," Lector said. "We both made mistakes. Why don't we just agree to move past them?"

Now Nesbitt sighed. "I'll try."

Lector gave him an encouraging smile. "It's a start." He paused. "Nesbitt . . . you mentioned something about going to New Orleans and meeting an older child. What was that about?"

Nesbitt looked thoughtful again. "When I was about two years old, my parents decided to see what Mardi Gras was all about. We went to New Orleans and stayed at this fancy old hotel. I couldn't care less about most of what was going on. I just wanted to sit in the lobby and play with my Legos. This older boy came along . . . I don't know who he was, but he was nice. I hardly ever liked being around people, but when I saw him, I . . ." He shook his head. "I know it doesn't make sense, but I felt like he was my best friend and I'd finally found him again. He liked me too. We were inseparable until it was time to go home. I didn't want to leave. Of course my parents insisted, and they didn't try to make sure we'd be able to keep in touch. They were hopeful I could finally socialize back home, and they wanted that instead of a long-distance correspondence. I have no idea what happened to that kid, but I . . . I've never stopped missing him. What we shared those days was something unique and special. I've never felt that again, until all of you saved me yesterday."

Throughout Nesbitt's story, Lector listened in increasing disbelief. His hands shaking, he opened his wallet and took out a well-worn picture. He stared at it for a long moment before looking up at the man who had become his treasured friend. "Nesbitt . . . do you remember that boy's name?"

Nesbitt blinked in surprise. "No, not really. I have a picture of us curled up asleep on the lobby floor, but the writing on the back long ago faded."

Lector shakily held out his picture. Nesbitt leaned in to look and then went stiff. "That's . . . how do you have that?!"

"This isn't your picture, Nesbitt," Lector said. "It's mine."

Nesbitt paled. "But then . . ."

"Yes! Your dear friend . . ." Lector smiled. "That was me."

Nesbitt just kept staring, still unable to fully believe this was actually happening. He slumped back in the chair, overwhelmed. "You," he rasped.

"‘Robbie and Démas at Mardi Gras,'" Lector read from the back of his picture. He looked back up at Nesbitt.

Nesbitt choked on a sob. He got up from the table and came around to the other side, reaching to pull Lector into an embrace. Smiling, Lector got up to meet him halfway.

"I always missed you too," Lector whispered. "I wished our parents would have made sure we could write to each other. I was old enough to write, even though you weren't. Who would have ever thought we would find each other again, halfway across the country?"

Nesbitt shook his head. "My best friend," he choked out. "You were my best friend all along. . . ."

Lector held him close. "Welcome home, Robbie," he said softly. "Welcome home at last."


End file.
